THE   UNIVERSITY 
OF   ILLINOIS 


LIBRARY 


ILLINOiS  RISTORICAI  SURVEY 


Four  Months  in  a  Sneak- Box. 


A  BOAT  VOYAGE  OF  260O  MILES    DOWN  THE  OHIO 
AND  MISSISSIPPI  RIVERS,  AND  ALONG 
THE    GULF    OF    MEXICO. 


BY 


NATHANIEL   H.  BISHOP, 

AUTHOR   OF    "a   THOUSAND    MILEs'    WALK    ACROSS   SOUTH    AMERICA,' 
ANU    '"VoVAOE    OK    THE    PAl'ER    CANUii." 


BOSTON: 

LEE    AND    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YORK:   CHARLES   T.  DILLINGHAM. 
1S79. 


COPYRIGHT, 
1S79, 

By  Nathaniel  II.  Bishop. 


Electrotyped  at  the  Boston  Stereotype  Foundry, 
19  Spring  Laue. 


TO    THE 

OFFICERS    AND    EMPLOYEES 

OF   THE 

LIGHT  HOUSE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
Sbls  ^ook  is  pcb'uatcb 

BY     ONE     WHO     HAS      LEARXED     TO      RESPECT     THEIR 

HONEST,  INTELLIGENT  AND  EFFICIENT  LABORS 

IN  SERVING  THEIR   GOVERNMENT,  THEIR 

COUNTRYMEN,   AND  MANKIND 

GENERALLY. 


1085S7 


INTRODUCTION. 


Eighteen  months  ago  the  author  gave  to  the 
public  his  "  Voyage  of  the  Paper  Canoe  :  —  a 
geographical  journey  of  25oo  miles  from 
Ql'ebec    to    the    Gulf  of  Mexico,  during   the 

YEARS    1874-5." 

The  kind  reception  by  the  American  press  of 
the  author's  first  journey  to  the  great  southern  sea, 
and  its  republication  in  Great  Britain  and  in  France 
within  so  short  a  time  of  its  appearance  in  the 
United  States,  have  encouraged  him  to  give  the 
public  a  companion  volume, — "Four  Months  in 
A  Sneak-Box," — which  is  a  relation  of  the  expe- 
riences of  a  second  cruise  to  the  Gulf  of  INIexico, 
but  by  a  different  route  from  that  followed  in  the 
"  Voyage  of  the  Paper  Canoe."  This  time  the 
author  procured  one  of  the  smallest  and  most  com- 
fortable of  boats  —  a  purely  American  model,  devel- 
oped bv  the  bay-men  of  the  New  Jersey  coast  of  the 
United  States,  and  recently  introduced  to  the  gunning 
V 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

fraternity  as  the  Barnegat  Sneak-Box.  This  curi- 
ous and  stanch  little  craft,  though  only  twelve  feet 
in  length,  proved  a  most  comfortable  and  serviceable 
home  while-  the  author  rovs^ed  in  it  more  than  2600 
miles  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and 
along  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  until  he  reached 
the  goal  of  his  voyage  —  the  mouth  of  the  wild 
Suwanee  River  —  which  was  the  terminus  of  his 
"Voyage  of  the  Paper  Canoe." 

The  maps  which  illustrate  the  contours  of  the 
coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  like  those  in  the  other 
volume,  are  the  most  reliable  ever  given  to  the 
public,  having  been  drawn  and  engraved,  by  con- 
tract for  the  work,  by  the  United  States  Coast 
and  Geodetic  Survey  Bureau. 

Lake  George,  Warren  Co., 

New  York  State, 

September  ist,  1879. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE   BOAT   FOR   THE  VOYAGE. 
Canoes  for  Shallow  Streams  axd  FREquEXX  Portages.  — 

SXEAK-BOXES      FOR      DeEP     WATERCOURSES.  HiSTORY     AXD 

Description  of  the  Barxegat  Sneak-box.  —  A  Walk 
Dowx  Eel  Street  to  Maxahawken  Marshes.  —  Hoxest 
George  the  Boat-builder.— The  Buildixg  of  the  Sxeak- 
Box  "Cextexnial  Republic."  — Its  Transportation  to 
THE  Ohio  River i 

CHAPTER    H. 

SOURCES    OF   THE    OHIO    RIVER. 

Description  of  the  Monongahela  and  Alleghany  Riv- 
ers.—The  Ohio  River.  —  Explorations  of  Cavelier  de 
LA  Salle. — Names  given  by  Ancient  Cartographers 
to  the  Ohio.  —  Routes  of  the  Aborigines  from  the 
Great  Lakes  to  the  Ohio  River 19 

CHAPTER    HI. 

FROM   PITTSBURGH  TO   BLENNERHASSET'S  ISLAND. 

The  Start  for  the  Gulf.  —  Caught  in  the  Ice  Raft.  — 
Camping  ox  the  Ohio.  —  The  Grave  Creek  Mound. — An 
Indian  Sepulchre.  —  Blennerhassets  Island.  —  Aaron 
Burr's  Conspiracy.  —  A  Ruined  Family ^9 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

FROM   BLENNERHASSET'S   ISLAND   TO   CINCINNATI. 

River  Camps.  —  Tiie  Shanty-Boats  and  River  Migrants. — 
Various  Experiences.  —  Arrival  at  Cincinnati. —The 
Sneak-box  frozen  up  in  Pleasant  Run.  —  A  Tailor's 
Family.  —  A  Night  under  a  German  Coverlet 55 

CHAPTER  V. 

FROM   CINCINNATI  TO  THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

Cincinnati.  —  Music  and  Pork  in  PoRKOPotis. — The  Big 
Bone  Lick  of  Fossil  Elephants.  —  Colonel  Croghan's 
Visit  to  the  Lick.  —  Portage  around  the  "Falls"  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  —  Stuck  in  the  Mud. —The  First 
Steamboat  of  the  West.  —  Victor  Hugo  on  the  Situa- 
tion. —  A  Freebooter's  Den.  —  Whooping  and  Sand-hill 
Cranes.  —  The  Sneak-box  enters  the  Mississippi     ...  79 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DESCENT   OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

Leave  Cairo,  Illinois.  —  The  Longest  River  in  the 
World.— Book  Geography  and  Boat  Geography.— Chick- 
asaw Bluff.  —  Meeting  with  the  Parakeets.  —  Fort 
Donaldson.  —  Earthquakes  and  Lakes.  —  Weird  Beauty 
of  Reelfoot  Lake. —Joe  Eckel's  Bar.  —  Shanty-boat 
Cooking.  —  Fort  Pillow.  —  Memphis.  —  A  Negro  Jus- 
tice.—  "De  Common  Law  ob  Mississippi" 115 

CHAPTER  VII. 

DESCENT   OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI   TO   NEW  ORLEANS. 

A  Flatboat  bound  for  Texas. — A  Flat-man  on  River 
Physics. — Adrift  and  Asleep.  —  Seeing  the  Earth's 
Little    Moon.  —  Vicksburgh.  —Jefferson   Davis's    Cot- 


CONTEXTS.  IX 

TON  Plantation,  and  its  Negro  Owner.  —  Dying  in  iiio 
Boat.  —  How  to  civilize  Chinese. — A  Swim  of  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty  Miles  ON  THE  Mississippi. — Twenty- 
four  Hours  IN  THE  Water. — Arrival  in  the  Crescent 
City 150 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

NEW  ORLEANS. 

Bienville  and  the  City  of  the  Past.  —  French  and  Span- 
ish Rule  in  the  New  World. — Louisiana  ceded  to  the 
United  States.  —  Captain  Eads  and  his  Jetties.  — 
Transportations  of  Cereals  to  Europe.  —  Charles 
Morgan.  —  Creole  Types  of  Citizens.  —  Levees  and 
Crawfish. — Drainage  of  the  City  into  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain 195 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ON  THE   GULF   OF  T^IEXICO. 

Leave  New  Orleans.  —  The  Roughs  at  Work.  —  De- 
tained AT  New  Basin.  —  Saddles  introduces  Himself. — 
Camping  on  Lake  Pontchartrain.  —  The  Light-House 
of  Point  aux  Herbes.  —  The  Rigolets.  —  Marshes  and 
JMosquitoes.  —  Lmportant  Use  of  the  MosqyiTO  and 
Blow-fly.  —  St.  Joseph's  Light.  —  An  Exciting  Pull 
TO  Bay  St.  Louis.  —  A  Light-keeper  lost  in  the  Sea. — 
Battle  of  the  Sharks.  —  Biloxi.  —  The  Water-cress 
Garden.  —  Little  Jennie 209 

CHAPTER    X. 

FROM   BILOXI  TO   CAPE    SAN   BLAS. 

Points  on  the  Gulf  Coast.  —  Mobile  Bay.  —  The  Hermit 
OF  Dauphine  Island.  —  Bon  Secours  Bay. — A  Cracker's 
Daughters.  —  The  Portage  to  the  Perdido.  — The  Port- 
age  from   the    Perdido   to   Big    Lagoon.  —  Pensacola 


X  CONTENTS. 

Bay. —  Santa  Rosa  Sound.  —  A  New  London  Fisher- 
man. —  Catching  the  Pompano.  —  A  Negro  Preacher 
AND  White  Sinners.  —  A  Day  and  a  Night  with  a  Mur- 
derer.—  St.  Andrew's  Sound.  —  Arrival  at  Cape  San 
Blas 240 

CHAPTER   XI. 

FROM  CAPE  SAN  BLAS  TO  ST.  MARKS. 

A  Portage  across  Cape  San  Blas.  —  The  Cow-Hunters.  — 
A  Visit  to  the  Light-House.  — Once  more  on  the  Sea. — 
Portage  into  St.  Vincent  Sound.  —  Apalachicola.  — 
St.  George's  Sound  and  Ocklockony  River. — Arrival 
at  St.  Marks.  —  The  Negro  Postmaster.  —  A  Philan- 
thropist AND  his  Neighbors. — A  Continuous  and  Pro- 
tected Water-Way  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the 
Atlantic  Coast 273 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

FROM   ST.   MARKS  TO  THE   SUWANEE   RIVER. 

Along  the  Coast.  —  Saddles  breaks  down. — A  Refuge 
WITH  the  Fishermen.  —  Camp  in  the  Palm  Forest.  — 
Parting  with  Saddles.  —  Our  Neighbor  the  Alliga- 
tor.—  Discovery  of  the  True  Crocodile  in  Florida. — 
The  Devil's  Wood-pile.  —  Deadman's  Bay.  —  Bowlegs 
Point.  — The  Coast  Survey  Camp. —  A  Day  aboard  the 
"Ready."  — The  Suwanee  River. —  The  End 2S8 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Drawn  by  F.  T.  Merrill.      Engraved  by  John  Andrew  &  Son. 


PAGE 

Shanty-Boats.  —  The     Champion     Floaters    of    the 

West, Frontispiece. 

Diagram  of  Parts  of  Boat, 14 

Indian  in  Canoe, 28 

The  Start.  —  Head  of  the  Ohio  River, 31 

Indian  Mound  at  Moundsville,  West  Virginia,  ...    54 

A  Night  under  a  German  Coverlet, 78 

Popular  Idea  of  the  Nesting  of  Cranes, in 

Stern-wheel  Western  Tow-Boat  pushing  Flatboats,    114 

Meeting  with  the  Parakeets, 125 

Dying  in  his  Boat, 177 

BOYTON   descending   THE    MISSISSIPPI, 1 87 

New  Orleans  Roughs  amusing  Themselves,     .    .    .    .214 
Arrival  at  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  —  Camp  Mosquito,  .  239 

The  Portage  across  Crooked  Island, 269 

Saddles  breaks  down, 292 

Parting  with  Saddles, 30 

Last  Night  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 322 

xi 


-> 


LIST  OF  MAPS 

DRAWN    AND   ENGRAVED    AT   THE 

UNITED   STATES   COAST  AND   GEODETIC   SURVEY  BUREAU, 

TO   ILLUSTRATE   N.    H.    BISHOP'S   BOAT   VOYAGES. 


PAGE 

I.  General  Map  of  Routes  followed  by  the  Au- 
thor DURING  two  Voyages  made  to  the  Gulf 
OF  Mexico,  in  the  Years  1874-6,  ,    .     Opposite      i 


GUIDE    MAPS    OF    ROUTE    FOLLOWED 

in   duck-boat  "centennial  republic,"  along  the 
gulf  of  mexico,  in  1 876. 

2.  From    New    Orleans,    Louisiana,   to    Mobile    Bay, 

Alabama, Opposite  209 

3.  From   Mobile   Bay,   Alabama,   to    Cape   San    Blas, 

Florida, Opposite  247 

4.  From    Cape   San    Blas,    Florida,    to    Cedar    Keys, 

Florida, Opposite  273 


MAP    SHOWING    RIVER    AND    PORTAGE   ROUTES 
across    FLORIDA   FROM   THE   GULF    OF    MEXICO 

to  the  atlantic  ocean. 

5.  Route  followed  by  the  Author  in   Paper   Canoe 

"Maria  Theresa,"  in  1875,    ■     •     •     ■     Opposite  319 

xii 


FOUR  MONTHS  IN  A  Si\EAK-BOX. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    BOAT   FOR   THE  VOYAGE. 

CAXOES  FOR  SHALLOW  STREAMS  AND  FREQUENT  PORTAGES. — ■ 
SNEAK-BOXES  FOR  DEEP  WATERCOURSES.  —  HISTORY  AND  DE- 
SCRIPTION OF  THE  BARNEGAT  SNEAK-BOX.  —  A  WALK  DOWN 
EEL  STREET  TO  MANAHAWKEN  MARSHES.  —  HONEST  GEORGE, 
THE  BOAT-BUILDER.  —  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  SNEAK-BOX  "CEN- 
TENNIAL REPUBLIC."  —  ITS  TRANSPORTATION  TO  THE  OHIO 
RIVER. 


T 


HE  reader  who  patiently  followed  the  au- 
thor in  his  long  "Voyage  of  the  Paper 
Canoe,"  from  the  high  latitude  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  to  the  warmer  regions  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  may  desire  to  know  the  rea- 
sons which  impelled  the  canoeist  to  exchange 
his  light,  graceful,  and  swift  paper  craft  for 
the  comical-looking  but  more  commodious  and 
comfortable  Barnegat  sneak-box,  or  duck-boat. 

Having  navigated   more   than    eight   thousand 

miles  in  sail-boats,  row-boats,  and  canoes,  upon 

the    fresh    and   salt   watercourses    of  the    North 

American  continent  (usually  without  a  compan- 

I  I 


2  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ion),  a  hard-earned  experience  has  taught  me 
that  while  the  light,  frail  canoe  is  indispensable 
for  exploring  shallow  streams,  for  shooting  rap- 
ids, and  for  making  long  portages  from  one 
watercourse  to  another,  the  deeper  and  more 
continuous  water-ways  may  be  more  comfortably 
traversed  in  a  stronger  and  heavier  boat,  which 
offers  many  of  the  advantages  of  a  portable 
home. 

To  find  such  a  boat — one  that  possessed  many 
desirable  points  in  a  small  hull  —  had  been  with 
me  a  study  of  years.  I  commenced  to  search  for 
it  in  my  boyhood  —  twenty-five  years  ago  ;  and 
though  I  have  carefully  examined  numerous 
small  boats  while  travelling  in  seven  foreign 
countries,  and  have  studied  the  models  of  min- 
iature craft  in  museums,  and  at  exhibitions  of 
marine  architecture,  I  failed  to  discover  the 
object  of  my  desire,  until,  on  the  sea-shore  of 
New  Jersey,  I  saw  for  the  first  time  what  is 
known  among  gunners  as  the  Barnegat  sneak- 
box. 

Having  owned,  and  thoroughly  tested  in  the 
waters  of  Barnegat  and  Little  Egg  Harbor  bays, 
five  of  these  boats,  I  became  convinced  that  their 
claims  for  the  good-will  of  the  boating  fraternity 
had  not  been  over-estimated;  so  when  I  planned 
my  second  voyage  from  northern  America  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  selected  the  great  water- 
courses of  the  west  and  south  (the  Ohio  and  Mis- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  3 

sissippi  rivers)  as  the  route  to  be  explored  and 
studied,  I  chose  the  Barnegat  sneak-box  as  the 
most  comfortable  model  combined  with  other 
advantages  for  a  voyager's  use.  The  sneak-box 
offered  ample  stowage  capacit}^,  while  canoes 
built  to  hold  one  person  were  not  large  enough 
to  carry  the  amount  of  baggage  necessary  for  the 
voyage;  for  I  was  to  avoid  hotels  and  towns,  to 
live  in  my  boat  day  and  night,  to  carry  an  ample 
stock  of  provisions,  and  to  travel  in  as  comfort- 
able a  manner  as  possible.  In  fact,  I.  adopted  a 
very  home-like  boat,  which,  though  only  twelve 
feet  long,  four  feet  wide,  and  thirteen  inches 
deep,  was  strong,  stiff,  dry,  and  safe;  a  craft  that 
could  be  sailed  or  rowed,  as  wind,  weather,  or 
inclination  might  dictate,  —  the  weight  of  which 
hardly  exceeded  two  hundred  pounds,  —  and 
could  be  conveniently  transported  from  one 
stream  to  another  in  an  ordinary  wagon. 

A  Nautilus,  or  any  improved  type  of  canoe, 
would  have  been  lighter  and  more  easily  trans- 
ported, and  could  have  been  paddled  at  a  higher 
speed  with  the  same  effort  expended  in  rowing 
the  heavier  sneak-box;  but  the  canoe  did  not 
offer  the  peculiar  advantages  of  comfort  and 
freedom  of  bodily  motion  possessed  by  its  unique 
fellow-craft.  Experienced  canoeists  agree  that  a 
canoe  of  fourteen  feet  in  length,  which  weighs 
only  seventy  pounds,  if  built  of  wood,  bark,  can- 
vas, or  paper,  when  out  of  the  water  and  resting 


4  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

upon  the  ground,  or  even  when  bedded  on  some 
soft  material,  like  grass  or  rushes,  cannot  support 
the  sleeping  weight  of  the  canoeist  for  many  suc- 
cessive nights  without  becoming  strained. 

Lisht  indeed  must  be  the  weight  and  slender 
and  elastic  the  form  of  the  man  who  can  sleep 
many  nights  comfortably  in  a  seventy-pound 
canoe  without  injuring  it.  Cedar  canoes,  after 
being  subjected  to  such  use  for  some  time,  gen- 
erally become  leaky;  so,  to  avoid  this  disaster,  the 
canoeist,  when  threatened  with  wet  weather,  is 
forced  to  the  disagreeable  task  of  troubling  some 
private  householder  for  a  shelter,  or  run  the  risk 
of  injuring  his  boat  by  packing  himself  away  in 
its  narrow,  coffin-like  quarters  and  dreaming 
that  he  is  a  sardine,  while  his  restless  weight  is 
every  moment  straining  his  delicate  canoe,  and 
visions  of  future  leaks  arise  to  disturb  his  tran- 
quillity. 

The  one  great  advantage  possessed  by  a  canoe 
is  its  lightness.  Canoeists  dwell  upon  the  impor- 
tance of  the  LIGHT  WEIGHT  of  their  canoes,  and 
the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  carried.  If  the 
canoeist  is  to  sleep  in  his  delicate  craft  while 
making  a  long  journey,  she  must  be  made  much 
heavier  than  the  perfected  models  now  in  use  in 
this  country,  many  of  which  are  under  seventy- 
five  pounds'  weight.  This  additional  weight  is 
at  once  fatal  to  speed,  and  becomes  burdensome 
when  the  canoeist  is  forced  to  carry  his  canoe 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  5 

upon  his  OWN  shouldcM-s  over  a  portage.  A 
sneak-box  built  to  carry  one  person  weighs 
about  three  times  as  much  as  a  well-built  cedar 
canoe. 

This  remarkable  little  boat  has  a  history  which 
does  not  reach  very  far  back  into  the  present 
century-  With  the  assistance  of  Mr.  William 
Errickson  of  Barnegat,  and  Dr.  William  P. 
Haywood  of  West  Creek,  Ocean  County,  New 
Jersev,  I  have  been  able  to  rescue  from  obliv- 
ion and  bring  to  the  light  of  day  a  correct  his- 
tory of  the  Barnegat  sneak-box. 

Captain  Hazelton  Seaman,  of  West  Creek  vil- 
lage, Xew  Jerse}',  a  boat-builder  and  an  expert 
shooter  of  wild-fowl,  about  the  year  1S36,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  constructing  for  his  own  use 
a  low-decked  boat,  or  gunning-punt,  in  which, 
when  its  deck  was  covered  with  sedge,  he 
could  secrete  himself  from  the  wild-fowl  while 
gunning  in  Barnegat  and  Little  Egg  Harbor 
bays. 

It  was  important  that  the  boat  should  be  suffi- 
ciently light  to  enable  a  single  sportsman  to  pull 
her  from  the  water  on  to  the  low  points  of  the 
bay  shores.  During  the  winter  months,  when 
the  oreat  marshes  were  at  times  incrusted  with 
snow,  and  the  shallow  creeks  covered  with  ice, — 
obstacles  which  must  be  crossed  to  reach  the 
open  waters  of  the  sound,  —  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  use   her  as  a  sled,  to  effect  which  end  a 


6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

pair  of  light  oaken  strips  were  screwed  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sneak-box,  when  she  could  be 
easily  pushed  by  the  gunner,  and  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  oars,  sail,  blankets,  guns,  ammunition, 
and  provisions  (all  of  which  stowed  under  the 
hatch  and  locked  up  as  snugly  as  if  in  a  strong- 
chest)  became  a  very  simple  matter.  While 
secreted  in  his  boat,  on  the  watch  for  fowl,  with 
his  craft  hidden  by  a  covering  of  grass  or  sedge, 
the  gunner  could  approach  within  shooting-dis- 
tance of  a  flock  of  unsuspicious  ducks;  and  this 
being  done  in  a  sneaking  manner  (though  Mro 
Seaman  named  the  result  of  his  first  eflbrt  the 
"Devil's  Coffin"),  the  bay-men  gave  her  the  so- 
briquet of  "  SNEAK-BOX ";  and  this  name  she 
has  retained  to  the  present  day. 

Since  Captain  Seaman  built  his  "  Devil's  Cof- 
fin," forty  years  ago,  the  model  has  been  improved 
by  various  builders,  until  it  is  believed  that  it  has 
almost  attained  perfection.  The  boat  has  no 
cheer,  and  sets  low  in  the  water.  This  lack  of 
sheer  is  supplied  by  a  light  canvas  apron  which 
is  tacked  to  the  deck,  and  presents,  when  stretched 
upward  by  a  stick  two  feet  in  length,  a  convex 
surface  to  a  head  sea.  The  water  which  breaks 
upon  the  deck,  forward  of  the  cockpit,  is  turned 
off  at  the  sides  of  the  boat  in  almost  the  same 
manner  as  a  snow-plough  clears  a  railroad  track 
of  snow.  The  apron  also  protects  the  head  and 
shoulders  of  the  rower  from  cold  head  winds. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  7 

The  first  sneak-box  built  by  Captain  Seainan 
had  a  piece  of  canvas  stretched  upon  an  oaken 
hoop,  so  fastened  to  the  deck  that  when  a  head 
sea  struck  the  bow,  the  hoop  and  canvas  were 
forced  upward  so  as  to  throw  the  water  off  its 
sides,  thus  effectually  preventing  its  ingress  into 
the  hold  of  the  craft.  The  improved  apron  origi- 
nated with  Mr.  John  Crammer,  Jr.,  a  short  time 
after  Captain  Seaman  built  the  first  sneak-box. 
The  second  sneak-box  was  constructed  by  jNIr. 
Crammer;  and  afterwards  ISIr.  Samuel  Ferine, 
an  old  and  much  respected  bay-man,  of  Barne- 
gat,  built  the  third  one.  The  last  two  men  have 
finished  their  voyage  of  life,  but  "^^  Uncle  Haze,"  — 
as  he  is  familiarly  called  by  his  many  admirers, — 
the  originator  of  the  tiny  craft  which  may  well  be 
called  multum  in  parvo,  and  which  carried  me, 
its  single  occupant,  safely  and  comfortably  twenty- 
six  hundred  miles,  from  Pittsburgh  to  Cedar  Keys, 
still  lives  at  West  Creek,  builds  yachts  as  well 
as  he  does  sneak-boxes,  and  puts  to  the  blush 
younger  gunners  by  the  energy  displayed  and 
success  attained  in  the  vigorous  pursuit  of  wild- 
fowl shooting  in  the  bays  which  fringe  the  coast 
of  Ocean  County,  New  Jersey. 

A  few  years  since,  this  ingenious  man  invented 
an  improvement  on  the  marine  life-saving  car, 
which  has  been  adopted  by  the  United  States 
government;  and  during  the  year  1875  ^^  con- 
structed a  new  ducking-punt  with  a  low  paddle- 


8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

wheel  at  its  stern,  for  the  purpose  of  more  easily 
and  secretly  approaching  flocks  of  wild-fowl. 

The  peculiar  advantages  of  the  sneak-box 
were  known  to  but  few  of  the  hunting  and 
shooting  fraternity,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
an  occasional  visitor,  were  used  only  by  the 
oystermen,  fishermen,  and  v.'ild-fowl  shooters  of 
Barnegat  and  Little  Egg  Harbor  bays,  until  the 
New^  Jersey  Southern  Railroad  and  its  connect- 
ing branches  penetrated  to  the  eastern  shores  of 
New  Jersey,  wdien  educated  amateur  sportsmen 
from  the  cities  quickly  recognized  in  the  little 
gunning-punt  all  they  had  long  desired  to  com- 
bine in  one  small  boat. 

Mr.  Charles  Hallock,  in  his  paper  the  "  Forest 
and  Stream,"  of  April  23,  1874,  gave  drawings 
and  a  description  of  the  sneak-box,  and  fairly 
presented  its   claims  to  public  favor. 

The  sneak-box  is  not  a  monopoly  of  any  par- 
ticular builder,  but  it  requires  peculiar  talent  to 
build  one,  —  the  kind  of  talent  which  enables  one 
man  to  cut  out  a  perfect  axe-handle,  while  the 
master-carpenter  finds  it  difhcult  to  accomplish 
the  same  thing.  The  best  yacht-builders  in 
Ocean  Count}'  generally  fail  in  modelling  a 
sneak-box,  while  many  second-rate  mechanics 
along  the  shore,  who  could  not  possibly  con- 
struct a  yacht  that  would  sail  well,  can  make  a 
perfect  sneak-box,  or  gunning-skifl'.  All  this 
may  be  accounted   for  by  recognizing  the   fact 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  9 

that  the  water-Hnes  of  the  sneak-box  are  peculiar, 
and  differ  materially  from  those  of  row-boats,  sail- 
boats, and  3achts.  Having  a  spoon-shaped  bot- 
tom and  bow,  the  sneak-box  moves  rather  over 
the  water  than  through  it,  and  this  peculiarity, 
together  with  its  broad  beam,  gives  the  boat 
such  stiffness  that  two  persons  may  stand  up- 
right in  her  while  she  is  moving  through  the 
water,  and  troll  their  lines  while  fishing,  or  dis- 
charge their  guns,  without  careening  the  boat;  a 
valuable  advantage  not  possessed  by  our  best 
cruising  canoes. 

The  boat  sails  well  on  the  wind,  though  hard 
to  pull  against  a  strong  head  sea.  A  tin-shaped 
centre-board  takes  the  place  of  a  keel.  It  can 
be  quickly  removed  from  the  trunk,  or  centre- 
board well,  and  stored  under  the  deck.  The 
flatness  of  her  floor  permits  the  sneak-box  to 
run  in  very  shallow  water  while  being  rowed  or 
when  sailino;-  before  the  wind  without  the  centre- 
board.  Some  of  these  boats,  carrying  a  weight 
of  three  hundred  pounds,  will  float  in  four  to  six 
inches  of  water. 

The  favorite  material  for  boat-building  in  the 
United  States  is  white  cedar  ( Citpressiis  tJiyoi- 
des),  which  grows  in  dense  forests  in  the  swamps 
along  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  as  well  as  in  other 
parts  of  North  America.  The  wood  is  both  white 
and  brown,  soft,  fine-grained,  and  very  light  and 
durable.      No  wood   used   in  boat-building   can 


lO  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

compare  with  the  white  cedar  in  resisting  the 
changes  from  a  wet  to  a  dry  state,  and  vice  versa. 
The  tree  grows  tall  and  straight.  The  lower 
part  of  the  trunk  with  the  diverging  roots  fur- 
nish knee  timbers  and  carlines  for  the  sneak-box. 
The  ribs  or  timbers,  and  the  carlines,  are  usually 
\\  X  \\  inches  in  dimension,  and  are  placed 
about  ten  inches  apart.  The  frame  above  and 
below  is  covered  with  half-inch  cedar  sheathing, 
which  is  not  less  than  six  inches  in  width.  The 
boat  is  strong  enough  to  support  a  heavy  man 
upon  its  deck,  and  when  well  built  will  rank 
next  to  the  seamless  paper  boats  of  Mr.  Waters 
of  Troy,  and  the  seamless  wooden  canoes  of 
Messrs.  Herald,  Gordon  &  Stephenson,  of  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  in  freedom  from 
leakage. 

During  a  cruise  of  twenty-six  hundred  miles 
not  one  drop  of  water  leaked  through  the  seams 
of  the  Centennial  Republic.  Her  under  planking 
was  nicely  joined,  and'  the  seams  calked  with 
cotton  wicking,  and  afterwards  filled  with  white- 
lead  paint  and  putty.  The  deck  planks,  of  seven 
inches  width,  were  not  joined,  but  were  tongued 
and  grooved,  the  tongues  and  grooves  being  well 
covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  white-lead  paint. 

The  item  of  cost  is  another  thing  to  be  consid- 
ered in  regard  to  this  boat.  The  usual  cost  of  a 
first-class  canoe  of  sevent}'  pounds'  weight,  built 
after  the  model  of  the  Rob  Roy  or  Nautilus,  with 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  II 

all  its  belonsrinfrs,  is  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars;  and  these  figures  deter  many 
a  young  man  from  enjo3'ing  the  ennobling  and 
healthful  exercise  of  canoeing.  A  first-class 
sneak-box,  with  spars,  sail,  oars,  anchor,  &c., 
can  be  obtained  for  seventy-five  dollars,  and  if 
several  were  ordered  by  a  club  the}'  could  prob- 
ably be  bought  for  sixty-five  dollars  each.  The 
price  of  a  sneak-box,  as  ordinarily  built  in 
Ocean  Count}',  New  Jersey,  is  about  forty  dol- 
lars. The  Centennial  Republic  cost  about 
seventy-five  dollars,  and  a  city  boat-builder 
would  not  duplicate  her  for  less  than  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  dollars.  The  builders  of 
the  sneak-boxes  have  not  yet  acquired  the  art 
of  overcharging  their  customers;  they  do  not 
expect  to  receive  more  than  one  dollar  and  fifty 
cents  or  two  dollars  per  day  for  their  labor;  and 
some  of  them  arc  even  so  unwise  as  to  risk  their 
reputation  by  offering  to  furnish  these  boats  tor 
twenty-five  dollars  each.  Such  a  craft,  after  a 
little  hard  usage,  would  leak  as  badly  as  most 
cedar  canoes,  and  would  be  totally  unfit  for  the 
trials  of  a  long  cruise. 

The  diajrram  oriven  of  the  Centennial  Republic 
will  enable  the  reader  of  aquatic  proclivities  to 
understand  the  general  principles  upon  which 
these  boats  are  built.  As  they  should  be  rated 
as  third-class  freight  on  railroads,  it  is  more 
economical   for  the  amateur  to  purchase  a  first- 


12  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

class  boat  at  Barnegat,  Manahawkcn,  or  West 
Creek,  in  Ocean  Count}-,  New  Jerse}-,  along  the 
Tuckerton  Railroad,  than  to  have  a  workman 
elsewhere,  and  one  unacquainted  w-ith  this  pe- 
culiar model,  experiment  upon  its  construction 
at  the  purchaser's  cost,  and  perhaps  loss. 

One  bright  morning,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
fall  of  1875,  ■'■  trudged  on  foot  down  one  of  the 
level  roads  which  lead  from  the  villasfe  of  INIana- 
hawken  through  the  swamps  to  the  edge  of  the 
extensive  salt  marshes  that  frins^e  the  shores  of 
the  bay.  This  road  bore  the  euphonious  name 
of  £el  Street^  —  so  named  by  the  boys  of  the 
town.  When  about  half-way  from  its  end,  I 
turned  off  to  the  right,  and  followed  a  wooded 
lane  to  the  house  of  an  honest  surf-man,  Captain 
George  Bogart,  who  had  recently  left  his  old 
home  on  the  beach,  beside  the  restless  waves  of 
the  Atlantic,  and  had  resumed  his  avocation  as  a 
sneak-box  builder. 

The  house  and  its  small  fields  of  low,  arable 
land  were  environed  on  three  sides  by  dense 
cedar  and  whortleberry  swamps,  but  on  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  larm  the  broad  salt 
marshes  opened  to  the  view,  and  beyond  their 
limit  were  the  salt  waters  of  the  bay,  which  were 
shut  in  from  the  ocean  by  a  long,  narrow,  sandy 
island,  known  to  the  fishermen  and  wreckers  as 
Long  Beach,  —  the   low,    white  sand-dunes    of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I3 

which  were  lifted  above  the  horizon,  and  seemed 
suspended  in  the  air  as  by  a  mirage.  Across 
th3  wide,  savanna-like  plains  came  in  gentle 
breezes  the  tonic  breath  of  the  sea,  while  hun- 
dreds, aye,  thousands  of  mosquitoes  settled  qui- 
etly upon  me,  and  quickly  presented  their  bills. 

In  this  sequestered  nook,  far  from  the  bustle 
of  the  town,  I  found  "  Honest  George,"  so  much 
occupied  in  the  construction  of  a  sneak-box, 
under  the  shade  of  spreading  willows,  as  to  be 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  the  myr- 
iads of  phlebotomists  which  covered  every  avail- 
able inch  of  his  person  exposed  to  their  attacks. 
The  appropriate  surroundings  of  a  surf-man's 
house  were  here,  scattered  on  every  side  in 
delisrhtful  confusion.  There  were  piles  of  old 
rigo-inor,  iron  bolts  and  rinses,  tarred  parcelling, 
and  cabin-doors,  —  in  fact,  all  the  spoils  that  a 
treacherous  sea  had  thrown  upon  the  beach;  a 
sea  so  disastrous  to  many,  but  so  friendly  to  the 
Barnesat  wrecker,  —  who,  bv  the  wav,  is  not  so 
black  a  character  as  Mistress  Rumor  paints  him. 
A  tar-like  odor  everywhere  prevailed,  and  I  won- 
dered, while  breathing  this  wholesome  air,  why 
this  surf-man  of  daring  and  renown  had  left  his 
proper  place  upon  the  beach  near  the  life-saving 
station,  v/here  his  valuable  experience,  brave 
heart,  and  strong,  brawny  arms  were  needed  to 
rescue  from  the  ocean's  grasp  the  poor  victims 
of  misfortune    whose    dead    bodies  are  washed 


14  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

upon  the  hard  strand  of  the  Jersey  shores  every 
3'ear  from  the  wrecks  of  the  many  vessels  which- 
pound  out  their  existence  upon  the  dreaded 
coast  of  Barnegat?  A  question  easily  answered, 
—  political  preferment.  His  place  had  been 
tilled  by  a  man  who  had  never  pulled  an  oar  in 
the  surf,  but  had  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
tradesman. 

Thus  Honest  George,  rejected  by  "  the  ser- 
vice," had  left  the  beach,  and  crossing  the  wide 
bays  to  the  main  land,  had  taken  up  his  abode 
under  the  willows  by  the  marshes,  but  not  too  far 
from  his  natural  element,  for  he  could  even  now, 
while  he  hammered  away  on  his  sneak-boxes, 
hear  the  ceaseless  moaning  of  the  sea. 

A  verbal  contract  was  soon  made,  and  George 
agreed  to  build  me  for  twenty-live  dollars  the 
best  boat  that  had  ever  left  his  shop;  he  to  do  all 
the  work  upon  the  hull  and  spars,  while  the  fu- 
ture owner  was  to  supply  all  the  materials  at  his 
own  cost.  The  oars  and  sail  were  not  included 
in  the  contract,  but  were  made  by  other  parties. 
In  November,  when  I  settled  all  the  bills  of 
construction,  cost  of  materials,  oar-locks,  oars, 
spars,  sail,  anchor,  &c.,  the  sum-total  did  not 
exceed  seventy-five  dollars;  and  when  the  ac- 
counts of  more  than  tw^enty  boats  and  canoes 
built  for  me  had  been  looked  over,  I  concluded 
that  the  little  craft,  constructed  by  the  surf-man, 
was,  for  the  amount  it  cost  and  the  advantages 


Rowlock  on  a 
iTiovo,ble  stunchion 


^Rurlderpost  l/^XliiXlSin 


bneak-box   Uentennial  Republic 
Length  I2feet  Weight  200  pourids. 


w 


1A»<5 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 5 

it  gave  me,  the  best  investment  I  had  ever  made 
in  things  that  float  upon  the  water.  Without  a 
name  painted  upon  her  hull,  and,  like  the  "  Maria 
Theresa  "  paper  canoe,  without  a  flag  to  decorate 
her,  but  with  spars,  sail,  oars,  rudder,  anchor, 
cushions,  blankets,  cooking-kit,  and  double- 
barrelled  gun,  with  ammunition  securely  locked 
under  the  hatch,  the  Centennial  Republic,  my 
future  travelling  companion,  was  ready  by  the 
middle  of  November  for  the  descent  of  the  west- 
ern rivers  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Captain  George  Bogart,  attentive  to  the  last  to 
his  pet  craft,  atlectionately  sewed  her  up  in  a 
covering  of  burlap,  to  protect  her  smooth  surface 
from  scratches  during  the  transit  over  railroads. 
The  two  light  oaken  strips,  which  had  been 
screwed  to  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  kept  the  hull 
secure  from  injury  by  contact  with  nails,  bolt- 
heads,  &c.,  while  she  was  being  carried  in  the 
freight-cars  of  the  Tuckerton,  New  Jersey,  South- 
ern and  Pennsylvania  railroads  to  Philadelphia, 
where  she  was  delivered  to  the  freight  agent  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  to  be  sent  to  Pitts- 
burgh, at  the  head  of  the  Ohio  River. 

Here  I  must  speak  of  a  subject  full  of  interest 
to  all  owners  of  boats,  hoping  that  when  our 
large  corporations  have  their  attention  drawn 
to  the  fact  they  will  make  some  provision  for  it. 
There  appears  to  be  no  fixed  freighting  tariff 
established  for  boats,  and  the  aquatic   tourist  is 


l6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

placed  at  the  mercy  of  agents  who  too  frequently, 
in  their  zeal  for  the  interests  of  their  employers, 
heavily  tax  the  owner  of  the  craft.  The  agent 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  Philadelphia  was 
sorely  puzzled  to  know  what  to  charge  for  a 
BOAT.  He  had  loaded  thousands  of  cars  for 
Pittsburgh,  but  could  iind  only  one  precedent  to 
guide  him.  "  We  took  a  boat  once  to  Pitts- 
burgh," he  said,  "  for  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
yours  should  be  charged  the  same."  The  ship- 
ping-clerk of  a  mercantile  house,  who  had  over- 
heard the  conversation,  mterrupted  the  agent 
with  a  loud  laugh.  "  A  charge  of  twenty-five 
dollars  freight  on  a  little  thing  like  that!     Why, 

MAN,  THAT  SUM  IS  NEARLY  HALF  HER  VALUE ! 

How  LARGE  was  the  boat  you  shipped  last  fall 
to  Pittsburgh  for  twenty-five  dollars?"  "Oh, 
about  twice  the  size  of  this  one,"  answered  the 
agent;  "but,  size  or  no  size,  a  boat's  a  boat,  and 
we  handle  so  few  of  them  that  we  have  no  special 
tarift'on  them."  "But,"  said  the  clerk,  "3'ou  can 
easily  and  honestly  establish  a  tariff"  if  5'ou  will 
treat  a  boat  as  you  do  all  other  freight  of  the 
same  class.  Now,  for  instance,  how  do  common 
boats  rank,  as  first  or  third  class  freight? " 
"Third  class,  I  should  think,"  slowly  responded 
the  agent.  "  Ease  your  conscience,  my  friend," 
continued  the  clerk,  "  by  weighing  the  boat,  and 
charg-ing:  the  usual  tariff"  rate  for  third  class 
freight." 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 7 

The  boat,  with  its  cargo  still  locked  up  inside, 
was  put  upon  the  scales,  and  the  total  weight 
was  three  hundred  and  ten  pounds,  for  which  a 
charge  of  sevent3'-two  cents  per  one  hundred 
pounds  was  made,  and  the  boat  placed  on  some 
barrels  in  a  car.  Thus  did  the  common-sense 
and  business-like  arrangement  of  the  friendly 
clerk  secure  for  me  the  freio'ht  charsre  of  two 
dollars  and  twenty-three  cents,  instead  of  twenty- 
tive  dollars,  on  a  little  boat  for  its  carriage  three 
hundred  and  fifty-three  miles  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
saved  me  not  only  from  a  pecuniary  loss,  but 
also  from  the  uncomfortable  feeling  of  being  im- 
posed upon. 

In  these  days  of  canoe  and  boat  vo3'ages,  when 
portages  by  rail  are  a  necessary  evil,  a  fixed 
tariff  for  such  freight  would  save  dollars  and 
tempers,  and  some  action  in  the  matter  is  anx- 
iously looked  for  by  all  interested  parties. 

I  gave  a  parting  look  at  my  little  craft  snugly 
ensconced  upon  the  top  of  a  pile  of  barrels,  and 
smiled  as  I  turned  away,  thinking  how  precious 
she  had  already  become  to  me,  and  philosophiz- 
ing upon  the  strange  genus,  man,  who  could  so 
readily  twine  his  alTections  about  an  inanimate 
object.  Upon  consideration,  it  did  not  seem  so 
strange  a  thing,  however,  for  did  not  this  boat  rep- 
resent the  work  of  brains  and  hands  for  a  generation 
past?  Was  it  not  the  result  of  the  study  and  hard- 
earned  experiences  of  many  men  for  many  years? 
2 


1 8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Men  whose  humble  •  lives  had  been  spent  along 
the  rough  coast  in  daily  struggles  with  the  storms 
of  ocean  and  of  life?  Many  of  them  now  slept 
in  obscure  graves,  some  in  the  deep  sea,  others 
under  the  tender,  green  turf;  but  here  was  the 
concentration  of  their  ideas,  the  ultimatum  of 
their  labors,  and  I  inwardl}'  resolved,  that,  since 
to  me  was  given  the  enjoyment,  to  them  should 
be  the  honor,  and  that  it  should  be  through  no 
fault  of  her  captain  if  the  Centennial  Republic 
did  not  before  many  months  reach  her  far-dis- 
tant point  of  destination,  twenty-six  hundred 
miles  away,  on  the  white  strands  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 9 


CHAPTER    II. 

SOURCES    OF    THE    OHIO    RIVER. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MONONGAHELA  AND  ALLEGHANY  RIVERS.  — 
THE  OHIO  RIVER. — EXPLORATIONS  OF  CAVELIER  DE  LA  SALLE. — 
NAMES  GIVEN  BY  ANCIENT  CARTOGRAPHERS  TO  THE  OHIO. — 
ROUTES  OF  THE  ABORIGINES  FROM  THE  GREAT  LAKES  TO  THE 
OHIO   RIVER.^ 

THE  southerly  branch  of  the  Ohio  River,  and 
one  of  its  chief  affluents,  is  made  by  the 
union  of  the  West  Fork  and  Tygart  Valle}'  riv- 
ers, in  the  county  of  Marion,  state  of  Virginia, 
the  united  waters  of  which  flow  nortli  into  Penn- 
sylvania as  the  Monongahela  River,  and  is  there 
joined  by  the  Cheat  River,  its  principal  trib- 
utary. The  Monongahela  unites  with  the  Alle- 
ghany to  form  the  Ohio,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  length  of  the  Monongahela,  without 
computing  that  of  its  tributaries,  is  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles;  but  if  we  include  its 
eastern  fork,  the  Tygart  Valley  River,  which 
flows  from  Randolph  Count}',  Virginia,  the  whole 
length  of  this  tributary  of  the  Ohio  may  exceed 
three  hundred  miles.  It  has  a  width  at  its  union 
with  the  Alleghany  of  nearly  one-fourth  of  a 
mile,  and   a  depth  of  water  sufficient  for  large 


20  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

steamboats  to  ascend  sixty  miles,  to  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania,  while  light-draught  vessels  can 
reach   its  head,  at  Fairmont,  Virginia. 

The  northern  branch  of  the  Ohio,  known  as 
the  Alleghany  River,  has  a  length  of  four  hun- 
dred miles,  and  its  source  is  in  the  county  ot 
Potter,  in  northern  Pennsylvania.  It  takes  a 
very  circuitous  course  through  a  portion  of  New 
York  state,  and  re-enters  Pennsylvania  flowing 
through  a  hilly  region,  and  at  the  flourishing 
city  of  Pittsburgh  mingles  its  waters  with  its 
southern  sister,  the  Monongahela. 

The  region  traversed  by  the  Alleghany  is  wild 
and  mountainous,  rich  in  pine  forests,  coal,  and 
petroleum  oil;  and  the  extraction  from  its  rocky 
beds  of  the  last-named  article  is  so  enormous  in 
quantity,  that  at  the  present  time  more  than  four 
million  barrels  of  oil  are  awaiting  shipment  in 
the  oil  districts  of  Pennsylvania.  The  smaller 
steamboats  can  ascend  the  river  to  Olean,  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  Pittsburgh. 
At  Olean,  the  river  has  a  breadth  of  twenty  rods. 

In  consequence  of  its  high  latitude,  the  clear 
waters  of  the  Alleghany  usually  freeze  over 
by  the  25th  of  December,  after  having  trans- 
ported upon  its  current  the  season's  work,  from 
the  numerous  saw-mills  of  the  great  wilderness 
through  which  it  flows,  in  the  form  of  rafts  con- 
sistinof  of  two  hundred  million  feet  of  excellent 
lumber. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  21 

The  Ohio  River  has  a  width  of  about  half  a 
mile  below  Pittsburgh,  and  this  is  its  medial 
breadth  alons^  its  windinof  course  to  its  mouth 
at  Cairo;  but  in  places  it  narrows  to  less  than 
twenty-five  hundred  feet,  while  it  frequently 
widens  to  more  than  a  mile.  A  geographical 
writer  says,  that,  '^  In  tracing  the  Ohio  to  its 
source,  we  must  regard  the  Alleghany  as  its 
proper  continuation.  A  boat  may  start  with  suf- 
ficient water  within  seven  miles  of  Lake  Erie,  in 
siirht  sometimes  of  the  sails  which  whiten  the 
approach  to  the  harbor  of  Buffalo,  and  float 
securely  down  the  Conewango,  or  Cassadaga, 
to  the  Alleghany,  down  the  Alleghany  to  the 
Ohio,  and  thence  uninterruptedly  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico." 

There  are  grave  reasons  for  doubting  that  part 
of  the  statement  which  refers  to  a  boat  starting 
from  a  point  within  seven  miles  of  Lake  Erie. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  member  of  the  New 
York  Canoe  Club  will  explore  the  route  men- 
tioned, and  give  the  results  of  his  investigations 
to  the  public.  He  would  need  a  canoe  light 
enough  to  be  easily  carried  upon  the  shoulders 
of  one  man,  with  the  aid  of  the  canoeist's  indis- 
pensable assistant  —  the  canoe-yoke. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Ohio  with  its  affluents 
drains  an  immense  extent  of  country  composed 
of  portions  of  seven  large  states  of  the  Union, 
rich  in  agricultural  wealth,  in  timber,  iron,  coal, 


2  2  FOUR   MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

petroleum,  salt,  clays,  and  building-stone.  The 
rainfall  of  the  Ohio  Valley  is  so  great  as  to  give 
the  river  a  mean  discharge  at  its  mouth  (accord- 
ing to  the  report  of  the  United  States  government 
engineers)  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  thou- 
sand cubic  feet  per  second.  This  is  the  drainage 
of  an  area  embracing  two  hundred  and  fourteen 
thousand  square  miles. 

The  head  of  the  Ohio  River,  at  Pittsburgh,  has 
an  elevation  of  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above 
the  sea,  while  in  the  long  descent  to  its  mouth 
there  is  a  gradual  fall  of  only  four  hundred  feet; 
hence  its  current,  excepting  during  the  seasons 
of  freshets,  is  more  gentle  and  uniform  than  that 
of  any  other  North  American  river  of  equal 
length.  During  half  the  year  the  depth  of  water 
is  sufficient  to  float  steamboats  of  the  largest 
class  along-  its  entire  leno^th.  Between  the  low- 
est  stage  of  water,  in  the  month  of  September, 
and  the  highest,  in  March,  there  is  sometimes  a 
range  of  fifty  feet  in  depth.  The  spring  freshets 
in  the  tributaries  will  cause  the  waters  of  the 
ofreat  river  to  rise  twelve  feet  in  twelve  hours. 
Durino;  the  season  of  low  water  the  current  of 
the  Ohio  is  so  slow,  as  flatboat-men  have  in- 
formed me,  that  their  boats  are  carried  by  the 
flow  of  the  stream  only  ten  miles  in  a  day.  The 
most  shallow  portion  of  the  river  is  between 
Troy  and  Evansville.  Tro}^  is  twelve  miles  be- 
low the  historic  Blennerhasset's  Island,  which  lies 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  23 

between  the  states  of  Ohio  and  Virginia.  Here 
the  water  sometimes  shoals  to  a  depth  of  only 
two   feet. 

Robert  Cavelier  de  la  Salle  is  credited  with 
having  made  the  discovery  of  the  Ohio  River. 
From  the  St.  Lawrence  country  he  went  to  On- 
ondaga, and  reaching  a  tributary  of  the  Ohio 
River,  he  descended  the  great  stream  to  the 
"Falls,"  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  His  men  bav- 
in"- deserted  him,  he  returned  alone  to  Lake  Erie. 
This  exploration  of  the  Ohio  was  made  in  the 
winter  of  1669-70,  or  in  the  following  spring. 

The  director  of  the  Depot  des  Cartes  of  the 
Marine  and  Colonies,  at  Paris,  in  1S72  possessed 
a  rich  mass  of  historical  documents,  the  collec- 
tion of  which  had  covered  thirty  years  of  his  life. 
This  material  related  chiefly  to  the  French  rule 
in  North  America,  and  its  owner  had  oflcred 
to  dispose  of  it  to  the  French  government  on 
condition  that  the  entire  collection  should  be 
published.  The  French  government  was,  how- 
ever, only  willing  to  publish  parts  of  the  whole, 
and  the  director  retained  possession  of  his  prop- 
erty. Through  the  etTorts  of  Mr.  Francis  Park- 
man,  the  truthful  American  historian,  supported 
by  friends,  an  appropriation  was  made  by  Con- 
gress, in  1873,  for  the  purchase  and  publication 
of  this  valuable  collection  of  the  French  director; 
and  it  is  now  the  property  of  the  United  States 
government.     All  that  relates  to  the  Sieur  de  la 


24  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Salle  —  his  journals  and  letters  —  has  been  pub- 
lished in  the  original  French,  in  three  large 
volumes  of  six  hundred  pages  each.  La  Salle 
discovered  the  Ohio,  yet  the  possession  of  the 
rich  historical  matter  referred  to  throws  but  little 
light  upon  the  details  of  this  important  event. 
The  discoverer  of  the  great  w^est,  in  an  address 
to  Frontenac,  the  governor  of  Canada,  made  in 
1677,  asserted  that  he  had  discovered  the  Ohio, 
and  had  descended  it  to  a  fall  which  obstructed 
it.  This  locality  is  now  known  as  the  "  Falls  of 
the  Ohio,"  at  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

The  second  manuscript  map  of  Galinee,  made 
about  the  year  1672,  has  upon  it  this  inscription: 
"  River  Ohio,  so  called  by  the  Iroquois  on  ac- 
count of  its  beauty,  which  the  Sieur  de  la  Salle 
descended."  It  was  probably  the  interpretation 
of  the  Iroquois  word  Ohio  which  caused  the 
French  frequently  to  designate  this  noble  stream 
as  ''  La  belle  riviere." 

A  little  later  the  missionary  Marquette  de- 
signed a  map,  upon  which  he  calls  the  Ohio 
the  "  Ouabouskiaou."  Louis  Joliet's  first  map 
gives  the  Ohio  without  a  name,  but  supplies 
its  place  with  an  inscription  stating  that  La 
Salle  had  descended  it.  In  Joliet's  second  map 
he  calls  the  Ohio  ''-  Ouboustikou." 

After  the  missionaries  and  other  explorers  had 
given  to  the  world  the  knowledge  possessed  at 
that  early  day  of  the   great  west,  a  young  and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  2K, 

talented  engineer  of  the  French  government,  liv- 
ing in  Quebec,  and  named  Jean  Baptiste  Louis 
Franquelin,  completed,  in  1684,  the  most  elabo- 
rate map  of  the  times,  a  carefully  traced  copy 
of  which,  through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Francis 
Parkman,  I  have  been  allowed  to  examine.  The 
original  map  of  Franquelin  has  recently  disap- 
peared, and  is  supposed  to  have  been  destroyed. 
This  map  is  described  in  the  appendix  to  Mr. 
Parkman's  "Discovery  of  the  Great  West,''  as 
being-  "  six  feet  long  and  four  and  a  half  wide." 
On  it,  the  Ohio  is  called  "  Fleuve  St.  Louis,  ou 
Chucagoa,  ou  Casquinampogamou; ''  but  the  ap- 
pellation of  "  River  St.  Louis  "  was  dropped  ver}' 
soon  after  the  appearance  of  Franquelin's  map, 
and  to  the  present  time  it  justly  retains  the  Iro- 
quois name  given  it  by  its  brave  discoverer  La 
Salle. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  b}^  which  of 
the  routes  used  by  the  Indians  in  those  early  days 
La  Salle  travelled  to  the  Ohio.  After  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Ohio  was  made  known,  the  first  route 
made  use  of  in  reaching  that  river  by  the  coureurs 
de  hois  and  other  French  travellers  from  Canada, 
was  that  from  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
from  a  point  near  where  the  town  of  Westfield 
now  stands,  across  the  wilderness  by  portage 
southward  about  nine  miles  to  Chautaugue 
Lake.  These  parties  used  light  bark  canoes, 
which  were    easily  carried  upon   the    shoulders 


26  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

of  men  whenever  a  "carry"  between  the  two 
streams  became  necessary.  The  canoes  were 
paddled  on  the  lake  to  its  southern  end,  out  of 
which  flowed  a  shallow  brook,  w^hich  aftbrded 
water  enough  in  places  to  float  the  frail  craft. 
The  shoal  water, -and  the  obstructions  made  by 
fallen  trees,  necessitated  frequent  portages.  This 
wild  and  tortuous  stream  led  the  voyagers  to  the 
Alleghany  River,  where  an  ample  depth  of  water 
and  a  propitious  current  carried  them  into  the 
Ohio. 

The  French,  finding  this  a  laborious  and  tedious 
route,  abandoned  it  for  a  better  one.  Where  the 
town  of  Erie  now  stands,  on  the  southern  shore 
of  the  lake  of  the  same  name,  a  small  stream 
flows  from  the  southward  into  that  inland  sea. 
Opposite  its  mouth  is  Presque  Isle,  which  pro- 
tects the  locality  from  the  north  winds,  and,  act- 
inof  as  a  barrier  to  the  turbulent  waves,  offers  to 
the  mariner  a  safe  port  of  refuge  behind  its  shores. 
The  French  ascended  the  little  stream,  and  from 
its  banks  made  a  short  portage  to  the  Riviere  des 
bccuf,  or  some  tributary  of  French  Creek,  and 
descended  it  to  the  Alleghany  and  the  Ohio. 
This  Erie  and  French  River  route  finally  be- 
came the  military  highway  of  the  Canadians  to 
the  Ohio  V^alley,  and  may  be  called  the  second 
route  from  Lake  Erie. 

The  third  route  to  the  Ohio  from  Lake  Erie 
commenced  at  the  extreme  southwestern  end  ol 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  27 

that  inland  sea.  The  voyagers  entered  Maumee 
Ba}'  and  ascended  the  Maumee  River,  hauling  their 
birch  canoes  around  the  rapids  between  Maumee 
Cit}-"  and  Perrysburgh,  and  between  Providence 
and  Grand  Rapids.  Surmounting  these  obsta- 
cles, they  reached  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  where 
the  St.  Joseph  and  St.  Mary  rivers  unite,  and 
make,  according  to  the  author  of  the  "  History  of 
the  :Maumee  Valley,"  the  "Maumee,"  or  "Mother 
of  Waters,"  as  interpreted  from  the  Indian  tongue. 
At  this  point,  when  ninety-eight  miles  from  Lake 
Erie,  the  travellers  were  forced  to  make  a  portage 
of  a  mile  and  a  half  to  a  branch  called  Little  River, 
which  they  descended  to  the  Wabash,  which 
stream,  in  the  early  days  of  French  exploration, 
was  thought  to  be  the  main  river  of  the  Ohio  sys- 
tem. The  Wabash  is  now  the  boundary  line  for 
a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles  between  the 
states  of  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Following  the 
Wabash,  the  vovager  would  enter  the  Ohio 
River  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  above 
its  junction  with  the  Mississippi. 

The  great  Indian  diplomatist,  "  Little  Turtle," 
in  making  a  treaty  speech  in  1795,  when  confront- 
ing Anthony  Wayne,  insisted  that  the  Fort  Wayne 
portage  was  the  "  key  or  gateway  "  of  the  tribes 
*having  communication  with  the  inland  chain  ot 
lakes  and  the  gulf  coast.  It  is  now  claimed  by 
many  persons  that  this  was  the  principal  and 
favorite    route    of   communication    between    the 


28 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


high  and  low  latitudes  followed  by  the  savages 
hundreds  of  years  before  Europeans  commenced 
the  exploration  of  the  great  west. 

There  was  a  fourth  route  from  the  north  to  the 
tributaries  of  the  Ohio,  which  was  used  by  the 
Seneca  Indians  frequently,  though  rarely  by  the 
whites.  It  was  further  east  than  the  three  ah-eady 
described.  The  Genesee  River  flows  into  Lake 
Ontario  about  midway  between  its  eastern  shores 
and  the  longitude  of  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Erie. 
In  using  this  fourth  route,  the  savages  followed 
the  Genesee,  and  made  a  portage  to  some  one  of 
the  affluents  of  the  Alleghany  to  reach  the  Ohio 
River. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  29 


CHAPTER    III. 

FROM   PITTSBURGH    TO   BLENNERHASSET'S 

ISLAND. 

THE  START  FOR  THE  GULF.  —  CAUGHT  IN  THE  ICE-RAFT. — 
CAMPING  ON  THE  OHIO.  —  THE  GRAVE  CREEK  MOUND.  —  AN 
INDIAN  SEPULCHRE.  —  BLENNERHASSET's  ISLAND.  —  AARON 
burr's   CONSPIRACY.  —  A    RUINED   FAMILY. 

UPON  arriving  at  Pittsburgh,  on  the  morning 
of  December  2cl,  1875,  after  a  dreary 
night's  ride  by  rail  from  the  Atlantic  coast,  I 
found  m}^  boat  —  it  having  preceded  me — safely 
perched  upon  a  pile  of  barrels  in  the  freight- 
house  of  the  railroad  company,  w^hich  w^as  con- 
veniently situated  within  a  few  rods  of  the  muddy 
waters  of  the  Monongahela. 

The  sneak-box,  with  the  necessary  stores  for  the 
cruise,  was  transported  to  the  river's  side,  and  as  it 
was  already  a  little  past  noon,  and  only  a  few  hours 
of  daylight  left  me,  prudence  demanded  an  in- 
stant departure  in  search  of  a  more  retired  camp- 
ing-ground than  that  afforded  by  the  great  city 
and  its  neighboring  towns,  with  the  united  pop- 
ulation of  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  souls. 
There  was  not  one  friend  to  give  me  a  cheering 
word,  the  happy  remembrance  of  which  might 


30  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

encourage  me  all  through  my  lonely  vo3^age  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  little  street  Arabs  fouijht  amons^  them- 
selves  for  the  empty  provision-boxes  left  upon 
the  bank  as  I  pushed  my  well-freighted  boat  out 
upon  the  whirling  current  that  caught  it  in  its 
strong  embrace,  and,  like  a  true  friend,  never 
deserted  or  lured  it  into  dano-er  while  I  trusted 
to  its  vigorous  help  for  more  than  two  thousand 
miles,  until  the  land  of  the  orange  and  sugar-cane 
was  reached,  and  its  fresh,  sweet  waters  were 
exchanged  for  the  restless  and  treacherous  waves 
of  the  briny  sea.  Ah,  great  river,  you  were  in- 
deed, of  all  material  things,  my  truest  friend  for 
many  a  day! 

The  rains  in  the  south  had  filled  the  gulches 
of  the  Virginia  mountains,  the  sources  of  the 
Monono^ahela,  and  it  now  exhibited  a  o^reat  de- 
gree  of  turbulence.  I  was  not  then  aware  of  the 
tumultuous  state  of  the  sister  tributary,  the  Alle- 
ghany, on  the  other  side  of  the  city.  I  supposed 
that  its  upper  affluents,  congealed  during  the  late 
cold  weather,  were  quietly  enjo3'ing  a  winter's 
nap  under  the  heavy  coat  in  w^hich  Jack  Frost 
had  robed  them.  I  expected  to  have  an  easy 
and  im interrupted  passage  down  the  river  in  ad- 
vance of  floating  ice;  and,  so  congratulating 
m3-self,  I  drew  near  to  the  confluence  of  the 
Monongahela  and  Alleghany,  from  the  union  of 
which    the   great  Ohio    has    its    birth,  and  rolls 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


31 


steadily  across  the  country  a  thousand  miles  to 
the  mightier  ^Mississippi. 

The  current  of  the  Monongahela,  as  it  flowed 
from  the  south,  covered  with  mists  rising  into 
the  wintry  air,  —  for  the  temperature  was  but  a 
few  degrees  above  zero, —  had  not  a  particle  of 
ice  upon  its  turbid  bosom. 

I  rowed  gayly  on,  pleased  with  the  auspicious 


The  ^tart. — J^ead  of   the   pnio  J^iyer. 


32  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

beginning  of  the  voyage,  hoping  at  the  close  of 
the  month  to  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and 
far  enough  south  to  escape  any  inconvenience 
from  a  sudden  freezing  of  its  surface,  for  along 
its  course  between  its  source  at  Pittsburgh  and 
its  debouchure  at  Cairo  the  Ohio  makes  only 
two  hundred  and  twelve  miles  of  southing, 
or  a  difference  of  about  two  and  a  half  degrees 
of  latitude.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that 
this  river  during  exceedingly  cold  winters  some- 
times freezes  over  for  a  few  days,  from  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania  to  its  junction  with  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

In  a  few  minutes  my  boat  had  passed  nearly 
the  whole  length  of  the  Pittsburgh  shore,  when 
suddenly,  upon  looking  over  my  shoulder,  I 
beheld  the  river  covered  with  an  ice-raft,  which 
was  passing  out  of  the  Alleghany,  and  wh'ich 
completely  blocked  the  Ohio  from  shore  to 
shore.  French  Creek,  Oil  Creek,  and  all  the 
other  tributaries  of  the  Alleghany,  had  burst 
from  their  icy  barriers,  thrown  off  the  wintry 
coat  of  mail,  and  were  pouring  their  combined 
wrath  into  the  Ohio. 

This  unforeseen  trouble  had  to  be  met  without 
much  time  for  calculating  the  results  of  entering 
the  ice-pack.  A  light  canoe  would  have  been 
ground  to  pieces  in  the  multitude  of  icy  cakes, 
but  the  half-inch  skin  of  soft  but  elastic  white 
swamp-cedar  of  the  decked  sneak-box,  with  its 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  ^^^ 

light  oaken  runner-strips  firmly  screwed  to  its 
bottom,  was  fully  able  to  cope  with  the  difficul- 
ty; so  I  pressed  the  boat  into  the  floating  ice, 
and  by  dint  of  hard  work  forced  her  several  rods 
be3^ond  the  eddies,  and  fairly  into  the  steady  flow 
of  the  strong  current  of  the  river. 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  done  to  expe- 
dite the  journey,  so  I  sat  down  in  the  little  hold, 
and,  wrapped  comfortably  in  blankets,  watched 
the  progress  made  by  the  receding  points  of  in- 
terest upon  the  high  banks  of  the  stream.  To- 
wards night  some  channel-ways  opened  in  the 
pack,  and,  seizing  upon  the  opportunit}',  I  rowed 
along  the  ice-bound  lanes  until  dusk,  when  hap- 
pily a  chance  was  ofiered  for  leaving  the  frosty 
surroundings,  and  the  duck-boat  was  soon  resting 
on  a  shelving,  pebbly  strand  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  river,  two  miles  above  the  little  village 
of  Freedom. 

The  rapid  current  had  carried  me  twenty-two 
miles  in  four  hours  and  a  half. 

Not  having  slept  for  thirty-six  hours,  or  eaten 
since  morning,  I  was  well  prepared  physically  to 
retire  at  an  early  hour.  A  few  minutes  sufficed 
to  securel}^  stake  my  boat,  to  prevent  her  being 
carried  off  by  a  sudden  rise  in  the  river  during 
m}'  slumbers;  a  few  moments  more  were  occu- 
pied in  arranging  the  thin  hair  cushions  and  a 
thick  cotton  coverlet  upon  the  floor  of  the  boat. 
The  bag  which  contained  my  wardrobe,  consist- 

3 


34  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ing  of  a  blue  flannel  suit,  &c.,  served  for  a  pillow. 
A  heav}^  shawl  and  two  thin  blankets  furnished 
sufficient  covering  for  the  bed.  Bread  and  but- 
ter, with  Shakers'  peach-sauce,  and  a  generous 
slice  of  Wilson's  compressed  beef,  a  tin  of  water 
from  the  ic}^  reservoir  that  flowed  past  my  boat 
and  within  reach  of  my  arm,  all  contributed  to 
furnish  a  most  satisfactory  meal,  and  a  half  hour 
afterwards,  when  a  soft,  damp  fog  settled  down 
upon  the  land,  the  atmosphere  became  so  quiet 
that  the  rubbing  of  every  ice-cake  ao'ainst  the 
shore  could  be  distinctly  heard  as  I  sank  into  a 
sweeter  slumber  than  I  had  ever  experienced  in 
the  most  luxurious  bed  of  the  daintiest  of  auest- 
chambers,  for  my  apartment,  though  small,  was 
comfortable,  and  with  the  hatch  securely  closed, 
I  was  safe  from  invasion  by  man  or  beast,  and 
enjoyed  the  well-earned  repose  with  a  full  feel- 
ing of  security.  The  owl  softl}^  winnowed  the 
air  with  his  feathery  pinions  as  he  searched  for 
his  prey  along  the  beach,  sending  forth  an  occa- 
sional to-hoot!  as  he  rested  for  a  moment  on  the 
leafless  branches  of  an  old  tree,  reminding  me  to 
take  a  peep  at  the  night,  and  to  inquire  "  what  its 
signs  of  promise  "  were. 

All  was  silence  and  security;  but  even  while 
I  thought  that  here  at  least  Nature  ruled  su- 
preme. Art  sent  to  my  listening  ear,  upon  the 
dense  night  air,  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  steam- 
freighter,  trjing  to  enter  the  ice-pack  several 
miles  down  the  river. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  35 

So  the  peaceful  night  wore  awa}',  and  in  the 
earl}'  dawn,  enveloped  in  a  thick  fog,  I  hastily 
dispatched  a  cold  breakfast,  and  at  half-past 
eight  o'clock  pushed  off  into  the  floating  ice, 
which  became  more  and  more  disintegrated  and 
less  troublesome  as  the  da}^  advanced.  The  use 
of  the  soft  bituminous  coal  in  the  towns  along  the 
river,  and  also  by  the  steamboats  navigating  it, 
filled  the  valley  with  clouds  of  smoke.  These 
clouds  rested  upon  everything.  Your  live  senses 
were  fully  aware  of  the  presence  of  the  disagree- 
able, impalpable  something  surrounding  you. 
Eyes,  ears,  taste,  touch,  and  smell,  each  felt  the 
presence."  Smoky  towns  along  the  banks  gave 
smoky  views.  Smoky  chimne3's  rose  high  above 
the  smoky  foundries  and  forges,  where  smoke-be- 
grimed men  toiled  day  and  night  in  the  smoky 
atmosphere.  Ah,  how  I  sighed  for  a  glimpse  of 
God's  blessed  sunlifrht!  and  even  while  I  irazed 
saw  in  memory  the  bright  pure  valle3's  of  the 
north-east;  the  sparkling  waters  of  lakes  George 
and  Champlain,  and  the  majestic  scener}',  with 
the  life-giving  atmosphere,  of  the  Adirondacks. 
The  contrast  seemed  to  increase  the  smoke,  and 
no  cheerfulness  was  added  to  the  scene  b}'  the 
dismal-looking  holes  in  the  mountain-sides  I  now 
passed.  They  were  the  entrances  to  mines  from 
which  the  bituminous  coal  was  taken.  Some  of 
them  were  being  actively  worked,  and  long, 
trough-like  shoots  were  used  to  send  the  coal  by 


^6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

its  own  gravity  from  the  entrance  of  the  mine  to 
the  hold  of  the  barge  or  coal-ark  at  the  steam- 
boat landing.  Some  of  these  mines  were  worked 
by  three  men  and  a  horse.  The  horse  drew  the 
coal  on  a  little  car  along  the  horizontal  gallery 
from  the  heart  of  the  mountain  to  the  light  of 
day. 

During  the  second  day  the  current  of  the  Ohio 
became  less  violent.  I  fought  a  passage  among 
the  ice-cakes,  and  whenever  openings  appeared 
rowed  briskly  along  the  sides  of  the  chilly  raft, 
with  the  intent  of  getting  below  the  frosty  zone 
as  soon  as  possible. 

About  half-past  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
when  some  distance  above  King's  Creek,  the 
struggling  starlight  enabled  me  to  push  my  boat 
on  to  a  muddy  flat,  destined  soon  to  be  over- 
flowed, but  offering  me  a  secure  resting-place 
for  a  few  hours.  Upon  peeping  out  of  my  warm 
nest  under  the  hatch  the  next  day,  it  was  a  cause 
of  great  satisfaction  to  note  that  a  rise  in  the  tem- 
perature had  taken  place,  and  that  the  ice  was 
disappearing  by  degrees. 

An  open-air  toilet,  and  a  breakfast  of  about  the 
temperature  of  a  family  refrigerator,  with  sundry 
other  inconveniences,  made  me  wish  for  just 
enough  hot  water  to  remove  a  little  of  the  begrim- 
ing results  of  the  smoky  atmosphere  through 
which  I  had  rowed. 

At  eleven   o'clock,  a.  m.,  the  first  bridge  that 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  37 

spans  the  Ohio  River  was  passed.  It  was  at 
Steubenville,  and  the  property  of  the  Pan-Handle 
Railroad. 

Soon  after  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  busy 
manulacturing  city  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia, 
with  its  great  suspension  bridge  crossing  the  river 
to  the  state  of  Ohio,  loomed  into  sight. 

This  city  of  Wheeling,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  some  eighty  miles  from  Pittsburgh,  was  the 
most  impressive  sight  of  that  dreary  day's  row. 
Above  its  masses  of  brick  walls  hung  a  dense 
cloud  of  smoke,  into  which  shot  the  flames 
emitted  from  the  numerous  chimneys  of  forges, 
glass-works,  and  factories,  which  made  it  the 
busy  place  it  was.  Ever  and  anon  came  the 
deafening  sound  of  the  trip-hammer,  the  rap-a- 
tap-tap  of  the  rivet-headers'  tools  striking  upon 
the  heavy  boiler-plates;  the  screeching  of  steam- 
whistles;  the  babel  of  men's  voices;  the  clanging 
of  deep-toned  bells.  Each  in  turn  striking  upon 
my  ear,  seemed  as  a  whole  to  furnish  sufficient 
noise-tonic  for  even  the  most  ardent  upholder  of 
that  remedy,  and  to  serve  as  a  type  for  a  second 
Inferno,  promising  to  vie  with  Dante's  own.  Yet 
with  all  this  din  and  dirt,  this  ever-present  cloud 
of  blackness  settling  down  each  hour  upon  clean 
and  unclean  in  a  sooty  coating,  I  was  told  that 
hundreds  of  families  of  wealth  and  refinement, 
whose  circumstances  enabled  theni  to  select  a 
home  where  they  pleased,  lingered  here,  appar- 


38  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ently  well  satisfied  with  their  surroundings.  We 
are,  indeed,  the  children  of  habit,  and  singularl}' 
adaptable.  It  is,  perhaps,  best  that  it  should  be 
so,  but  I  thought,  as  I  brushed  off  the  thin  la3'er  of 
soot  with  which  the  Wheeling  cloud  of  enterprise 
had  discolored  the  pure  white  deck  of  my  little 
cralt,  that  if  this  was  civilization  and  enterprise, 
I  should  rather  take  a  little  less  of  those  two 
commodities  and  a  little  more  of  cleanliness  and 
quiet. 

At  Wheeling  I  left  the  last  of  the  ice-drifts,  but 
now  observed  a  new  feature  on  the  river's  sur- 
face. It  was  a  floating  coat  of  oil  from  the  pe- 
troleum regions,  and  it  followed  me  many  a  mile 
down  the  stream. 

The  river  being  now  free  from  ice,  numerous 
crafts  passed  me,  and  among  them  many  steam- 
boats with  their  immense  stern-wheels  beating 
the  water,  being  so  constructed  for  shallow 
streams.  They  were  ascending  the  current,  and 
pushing  their  "^^  tows  "  of  two,  four,  and  six  long, 
wide  coal-barges  fastened  in  pairs  in  Iront  ot 
them.  How  the  pilots  of  these  stern-wheel 
freighters  manaired  to  guide  these  heavilv  loaded 
baro-es  ao-ainst  the  treacherous  current  was  a 
myster}^  to    me. 

It  suddenl}'  grew  dark,  and  wishing  to  be  se- 
cure from  molestation  by  steamboats,  I  ran  into 
a  narrow  creek,  with  high,  muddy  banks,  which 
were  so  steep  and  so  slippery  that  my  boat  slid 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


39 


into  the  water  as  fast  as  I  could  haul  her  on  to 
the  shore.  This  difficulty  was  overcome  by  dig- 
ging wnth  my  oar  a  bed  for  her  to  rest  in,  and  she 
soon  settled  into  the  damp  ooze,  where  she  qui- 
etly remained  until  morning. 

During  this  part  of  my  journey  particularly, 
the  need  of  a  small  coal-oil  stove  was 
felt,  as  the  usual  custom  of  making  a 
camp-fire  could  not  be  followed  for 
many  da3's  on  the  upper  Ohio  River. 
The  rains  had  wet  the  fire-wood, 
which  in  a  settled  and  cultivated  coun- 
try   is   found   only  in    small   quantities     poAi.-pij^ 

•'  ,      "^  ^  ^  gXOVE. 

on  the  banks  of  the  stream.     The  drift- 
wood thrown  up   b}'  the  river  was  almost  satu- 
rated with  water,  and  the  damp,  wild  trees  of  the 
swamp  afforded  only  green  wood. 

In  a  less  settled  countrv,  or  where  there  is  an 
old  forest  sfrowth,  as  alon<z  the  lower  Ohio  and 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  fallen  trees, 
with  resinous,  dry  hearts,  can  be  found'  and  even 
durino-  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  a  skilful  use  of  the  axe 
will  bring  out  these  ancient  interiors  to  cheer  the 
voyager's  heart  by  afibrding  him  excellent  fuel 
for  his  camp-fire. 

The  recently  perfected  coal-oil  stove  does  not 
give  out  disagreeable  odors  when  the  petroleum 
used  is  refined,  like  that  known  in  the  market  as 
Pratfs  Astral  Oil.  This  brand  of  oil  does  not 
contain  naphtha,  the   existence  of  which  in  the 


40  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

partially  refined  oils  is  the  cause  of  so  many  dan- 
gerous explosions  of  kerosene  lamps. 

Recent  experiences  with  coal-oil  burners  lead 
me  to  adopt,  for  camp  use,  the  No.  0  single-wick 
stove  of  the  "  Florence  Machine  Co.,"  whose  ex- 
cellent wares  attracted  so  much  attention  at  .the 
Centennial  Exhibition  in  Philadelphia.  The 
No.  0  Florence  stove  will  sustain  the  weight  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  is  one  of  the 
few  absolutely  safe  oil  stoves,  with  perfect  com- 
bustion, and  no  unpleasant  odor  or  gas.  This 
statement  presupposes  that  the  wicks  are  wiped 
along  the  burnt  edges  after  being  used,  and  that 
a  certain  degree  of  cleanliness  is  observed  in  the 
care  of  the  -oil  cistern,  I  do  not  stand  alone  in 
my  appreciation  of  this  faithful  little  stove,  for 
the  company  sold  forty  thousand  of  them  in  one 
year.  In  Johnson's  Universal  Cyclopaedia,  Dr. 
L.  P.  Brockett,  of  Brookh^n,  N.  Y.,  expresses 
himself  in  the  most  enthusiastic  terms  in  regard 
to  this  stove.  He  says:  "For  summer  use  it  will 
be  a  great  boon  to  the  thousands  of  women 
whose  lives  have  been  made  bitter  and  wretched 
by  confinement  in  close  and  intensely  heated 
kitchens;  in  many  cases  it  will  give  health  for 
disease,  strength  for  weakness,  cheerfulness  for 
depression,  and  profound  thankfulness  in  place 
of  gloom  and  despair." 

Boatmen  and  canoeists  should  never  travel 
without    one    of   these     indispensable    comforts. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  4 1 

Alcohol  stoves  are  small,  and  the  fuel  used  too 
expensive,  as  well  as  difficult  to  obtain,  while 
ofood  coal-oil  can  now  be  had  even  on  the  bor- 
ders  of  the  remote  wilderness.  The  economy 
of  its  use  is  wonderful.  A  heat  sufficient  to  boil 
a  gallon  of  water  in  thirty  minutes  can  be  sus- 
tained for  ten  hours  at  the  cost  of  three  cents. 

For  lack  of  one  of  these  little  blessings  —  which 
the  prejudice  of  friends  had  influenced  me  to  leave 
behind  —  my  daily  meals  for  the  first  two  or  three 
weeks  generally  consisted  of  cold,  cooked  canned 
beef,  bread  and  butter,  canned  fruits,  and  cold 
river  water.  The  absence  of  hot  coffee  and  other 
stimulants  did  not  aflect  my  appetite,  nor  the  en- 
joyment of  the  morning  and  evening.repasts,  cold 
and  untempting  as  they  were.  The  vigorous  day's 
row  in  the  open  air,  the  sweet  slumbers  that  fol- 
lowed it  at  night  in  a  well-ventilated  apartment, 
a  simple,  unexciting  life,  the  mental  rest  from 
vexatious  business  cares,  all  proved  superior  to 
any  tonic  a  physician  could  prescribe,  and  I 
became  more  rugged  as  I  grew  accustomed  to 
the  duties  of  an  oarsman,  and  gained  several 
pounds  avoirdupois  by  the  time  I  ended  the 
row  of  twenty-six  hundred  miles  and  landed 
on  the  sunn}'  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Sunday  broke  upon  me  a  sunless  day.  The 
water  of  the  creek  was  too  muddy  to  drink,  and 
the  rain  bes^an  to  fall  in  torrents.  I  had  antici- 
pated  a  season  of  rest  and  quiet  in  camp,  with  a 


42  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

bright  fire  to  cheer  the  lonely  hours  of  my  fi-osty 
sojourn  on  the  Ohio,  but  there  was  not  a  piece 
of  dr}'  wood  to  be  found,  and  it  became  neces- 
sary to  change  my  position  for  a  more  propitious 
locality;  so  I  rowed  down  the  stream  twelve 
miles,  to  Big  Grave  Creek,  below  which,  and 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ohio,  is  the  tow^i  of 
Moundsville.  One  of  the  interesting  features  of 
this  place  is  its  frontage  on  a  channel  possessing 
a  depth  of  fifteen  feet  of  water  even  in  the  dr}'- 
est  seasons.  Wheeling,  at  the  same  time  of  the 
year,  can  claim  but  seven  feet.  Here,  also,  is 
the  great  Indian  mound  from  which  it  derives  its 
name. 

The  resting-place  of  my  craft  was  upon  a  mud- 
dy slope  in  the  rear  of  a  citizen's  yard  which  faced 
the  river;  but  when  the  storm  ended,  on  ^Monday 
morning,  my  personal  eftects  were  hidden  from 
the  gaze  of  idlers  b}'  securely  locking  the  hatch, 
which  was  done  with  the  same  facility  with  which 
one  locks  his  trunk  —  and  the  former  occupant 
was  at  liberty  to  visit  the  "  Big  Grave.'' 

I  walked  through  the  muddy  streets  of  the  un- 
interesting village  to  the  conspicuous  monument 
of  the  aborio-inal   inhabitant  of  the  river's  mar- 

CD 

gin.  It  was  a  conical  hill,  situated  within  the 
limits  of  the  town,  and  known  to  students  of 
American  pre-historic  races  as  the  "  Grave  Creek 
Tvlound."  This  particular  creation  of  a  lost  race 
is  the  most  important  of  the  numerous  works  of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  43 

the  Mound  Builders  which  are  found  throughout 
the  Ohio  Valley.  Its  circumference  at  the  base 
is  nine  hundred  feet,  and  its  height  sevent}^  feet. 
In  1838  the  location  was  owned  by  Mr.  Tomlin- 
son,  who  penetrated  to  the  centre  of  the  mound 
by  excavating  a  passage  on  a  level  with  the  foun- 
dation of  the  structure.  He  then  sank  a  shaft 
from  the  apex  to  intercept  the  ground  passage. 
Mr.  Tomlinson's  statement  is  as  follows: 

"At  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  eleven 
feet  we  came  to  a  vault  which  had  been  exca- 
vated before  the  mound  was  commenced,  eight 
by  twelve  feet,  and  seven  in  depth.  Along  each 
side,  and  across  the  ends,  upright  timbers  had 
been  placed,  which  supported  timbers  thrown 
across  the  vault  as  a  ceiling.  These  timbers 
were  covered  with  loose  unhewn  stone  common 
to  the  neighborhood.  The  timbers  had  rotted, 
and  had  tumbled  into  the  vault.  In  this  vault 
were  two  human  skeletons,  one  of  which  had  no 
ornaments;  the  other  was  surrounded  by  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  ivory  (shell)  beads,  and  an  ivory 
(bone)  ornament  six  inches  long.  In  sinking  the 
shaft,  at  thirty-four  feet  above  the  first,  or  bottom 
vault,  a  similar  one  was  found,  enclosing  a  skel- 
eton which  had  been  decorated  with  a  profu- 
sion of  shell  beads,  copper  rings,  and  plates  of 
mica." 

Dr.  Clemmens,  who  was  much  interested  in 
the  work  of  exploration  here,  says :   "  At  a  dis- 


44  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

tance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  were  found  numer- 
ous layers  composed  of  charcoal  and  burnt  bones. 
On  reaching  the  lower  vault  from  the  top,  it  was 
determined  to  enlarge  it  for  the  accommodation 
of  visitors,  when  ten  more  skeletons  were  dis- 
covered. This  mound  was  supposed  to  be  the 
tomb  of  a  ro3^al  personage." 

At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  ground  was  cov- 
ered v/ith  a  grassy  sod,  and  large  trees  arose  from 
its  sloping  sides.  The  horizontal  passage  was 
kept  in  a  safe  state  by  a  lining  of  bricks,  and  I 
walked  throup^h  it  into  the  heart  of  the  Indian 
sepulchre.  It  v/as  a  damp,  dark,  weird  interior; 
but  the  perpendicular  shaft,  which  ascended  to 
the  apex,  kept  up  an  uninterrupted  current  of 
air.  I  found  it  anything  but  a  pleasant  place  in 
which  to  linger,  and  soon  retraced  my  steps  to 
the  boat,  where  I  once  more  embarked  upon  the 
ceaseless  current,  and  kept  upon  my  winding 
course,  praying  for  even  one  glimpse  of  the  sun, 
whose  face  had  been  veiled  from  my  sight  during 
the  entire  voyage,  save  for  one  brief  moment  when 
the  brightness  burst  from  the  surrounding  gloom 
only  to  be  instantly  eclipsed,  and  making  all  seem, 
by  contrast,  more  dismal  than  ever. 

It  would  not  interest  the  general  reader  to  give 
a  description  of  the  few  cities  and  many  small 
villages  that  were  passed  during  the  descent  of 
the  Ohio.  Few  of  these  places  possess  even  a 
local  interest,  and  the  eye  soon  wearies  of  the  air 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  45 

of  monotoii}'  found  in  them  all.  Even  the  guide- 
books dispose  of  these  villages  with  a  little  dry 
detail,  and  rarely  recommend  the  tourist  to  visit 
one  of  them. 

One  feature  may  be,  however,  remarked  in  de- 
scending the  Ohio,  and  that  is  the  ambition  dis- 
played by  the  pioneers  of  civilization  in  the  west 
in  naming  hamlets  and  towns  —  which,  with  few 
exceptions,  are  still  of  little  importance  —  after 
the  great  cities  of  the  older  parts  of  the  United 
States,  and  also  of  foreign  lands.  These  names, 
which  occupy  such  important  positions  on  the 
maps,  excite  the  imagination  of  the  traveller,  and 
when  the  reality  comes  into  view,  and  he  enters 
their  narrow  limits,  the  commonplace  architect- 
ure and  generally  unattractive  surroundings  have 
a  most  depressing  etfect,  and  he  sighs,  "What's 
in  a  name?"  We  tind  upon  the  map  the  name 
and  appearance  of  a  city,  but  it  proves  to  be  the 
most  uninteresting  of  villages,  though  known  as 
Amsterdam.  We  also  find  many  towns  of  the 
Hudson  duplicated  in  name  on  the  Ohio,  and 
pass  Troy,  Albany,  Newburg,  and  New  York. 
The  cities  of  Great  Britain  arc  in  many  instances 
perpetuated  by  the  names  of  Aberdeen,  Manches- 
ter, Dover,  Portsmouth,  Liverpool,  and  London; 
while  other  nations  are  represented  by  Rome, 
Carthage,  Ghent,  Warsaw,  Moscow,  Gallipolis, 
Bethlehem,  and  Cairo.  Strangely  sandwiched 
with    these    old    names    we    find    the    southern 


46  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

States  represented,  as  in  Augusta,  Charleston, 
&c.;  while  the  Indian  names  Miami,  Guyandot, 
Paducah,  Wabash,  and  Kanawha  are  thrown  in 
for  variety. 

In  the  evenins:  I  sousfht  the  shelter  of  an  island 
on  the  left  side  of  the  river,  about  three  miles 
above  Sisterville,  which  proved  to  be  a  restful 
camping-place  during  the  dark  night  that  set- 
tled  down   upon  the   surrounding  country. 

Tuesday  being  a  rainy  day,  I  was  forced  b}' 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather  to  seek  for  better 
quarters  in  a  retired  creek  about  three  miles 
above  the  thriving  town  of  Marietta,  so  named 
in  honor  of  Maria  Antoinette  of  Austria. 

The  country  was  now  becoming  more  pleasing 
in  character,  and  man}'  of  the  islands,  as  I  floated 
past  them  on  the  current,  gave  evidence  of  great 
fertility  where  cultivation  had  been  bestowed 
upon  them.  Some  of  these  islands  were  con- 
nected to  one  shore  of  the  river  by  low  dams, 
carelessly  constructed  of  stones,  their  purpose 
being  to  deepen  the  channel  upon  the  opposite 
side  by  diverting  a  considerable  volume  of  water 
into  it.  When  the  water  is  very  low,  the  tops  of 
these  dams  can  be  seen,  and  must,  of  course,  be 
avoided  by  boatmen;  but  when  the  Ohio  increases 
its  depth  of  water,  these  artificial  aids  to  naviga- 
tion are  submerged,  and  even  steamboats  float 
securely  over  them. 

On  Wednesday  the  river  began  to  rise,  in  conse- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  47 

quence  of  the  hea\y  rains;  so,  with  an  increased 
current,  the  duck-boat  left  her  quarters  about 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  Early  in  the 
afternoon,  Parkersburgh,  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Little  Kanawha  River,  in  Virginia,  came  into 
view.  This  is  the  outlet  of  the  petroleum  region 
of  West  Virginia,  and  is  opposite  the  little  village 
of  Belpre,  which  is  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  These 
towns  are  connected  bv  a  massive  iron  bridsfe, 
built  b}'  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Com- 
pany. 

Two  miles  below  Belpre  lay  the  beautiful  is- 
land, formerly  the  home  of  Blennerhasset,  an 
English  gentleman  of  Irish  descent,  of  whom  a 
most  interesting  account  was  given  in  a  late  num- 
ber of  Harper's  ^Magazine.  ]\Ir.  Blennerhasset 
came  to  New  York  in  1797,  with  his  wife  and 
one  child,  hoping  to  tind  in  America  freedom 
of  opinion  and  action  denied  him  at  home,  as  his 
relations  and  friends  were  all  royalists,  and  op- 
posed to  the  republican  principles  he  had  im- 
bibed. Here,  on  this  sunny  island,  under  the 
grand  old  trees,  he  built  a  stateh-  mansion,  where 
wealth  and  culture,  combined  with  all  things  rich 
and  rare  from  the  old  world,  made  an  Eden  for 
all  who  entered  it. 

Ten  negro  servants  were  bought  to  minister 
to  the  daily  needs  of  the  household.  Over  fort}' 
thousand  dollars  in  gold  were  spent  upon  the 
buildings    and    grounds.      A   telescope    of  high 


48  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

power  to  assist  in  his  researches,  books  of  every 
description,  musical  instruments,  chemical  and 
philosophical  apparatus,  everjthing,  in  fact,  that 
could  add  to  the  progress  and  comfort  of  an  intel- 
lectual man,  was  here  collected.  Docks  were 
built,  and  a  miniature  fleet  moored  in  the  soft 
waters  of  the  ever-liowing  Ohio.  Nature  had 
begun,  Blennerhasset  finished;  and  we  cannot 
wonder  when  we  read  of  the  best  families  in  the 
neighboring  country  going  often  thirty  and  forty 
miles  to  partake  of  the  generous  hospitality  here 
offered  them.  Mrs.  Blennerhasset,  endowed  by 
nature  with  beauty  and  winsome  manners,  was 
always  a  charming  and  attractive  hostess,  as  well 
as  a  true  wife  and  mother. 

For  eight  years  Blennerhasset  lived  upon  his 
island,  enjo37ing  more  than  is  accorded  to  the  lot 
of  most  mortals;  but  the  story  of  his  position,  his 
intelligence,  his  wealth,  his  wonderful  social  in- 
fluence upon  those  around  him,  reached  at  length 
the  ear  of  one  who  marked  him  lor  his  prey. 

Aaron  Burr  had  been  chosen  vice-president 
of  the  United  States  in  1800,  with  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson as  president;  but  in  1804,  when  Jeflerson 
was  re-elected.  Burr  was  not.  The  brain  of 
this  brilliant  but  ill-balanced  and  unprincipled 
man  was  ever  rife  with  ambitious  schemes,  and 
the  taste  of  political  power  in  his  position  as  vice- 
president  of  the  United  States  seemed  to  have 
driven  him  towards  the  accomplishment  of  one 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  49 

of  the  boldest  and  most  extravagant  dreams  he 
ever  imagined.  Mexico  he  thought  could  be 
wrested  from  Spain,  and  the  then  almost  unpeo- 
pled valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  taken 
from  the  United  States.  This  fair  region,  with 
its  fertile  soil  and  varied  climate,  should  be 
blended  into  one  empire.  On  the  north,  the 
Great  Lakes  should  be  his  boundar}'  line,  while 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  should  lave  with  its  salt 
waters  his  southern  shores.  The  high  cliffs  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  should  protect  the  western 
boundary,  and  on  the  east  the  towering  Allegha- 
nies  form  a  barrier  to  invading  foe. 

Such  was  the  dream,  and  a  fair  one  it  Avas. 
Of  this  new  empire,  Aaron  Burr  would  of  course 
be  Imperator;  and  the  ways  and  means  for  its 
establishment  must  be  found.  The  distant  Blen- 
nerhasset  seemed  to  point  to  the  happy  termina- 
tion of  at  least  some  of  the  difficulties.  His 
wealth,  if  not  his  personal  influence,  must  be 
gained,  and  no  man  was  better  suited  to  win 
his  point  than  the  fascinating  Aaron  Burr.  We 
will  not  enter  into  the  plans  of  the  artful  insinu- 
ator  made  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  unsus- 
pecting Englishman,  but  we  must  ever  feel  sure 
that  the  cloven  foot  was  well  concealed  until  the 
last,  for  Blennerhasset  loved  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion, and  would  not  have  listened  to  any  plan 
for  its  impoverishment.  His  means  were  given 
lavishly  for  the  aid  of  the  new  colon}',  as   Burr 

4 


50  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

called  it,  and  his  personal  influence  made  use 
of  in  enlisting  recruits.  Arms  were  furnished, 
and  the  Indian  foe  given  as  an  excuse  for  this 
measure. 

Burr  during  this  time  resided  at  Marietta,  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  river,  fifteen  miles  above 
Blennerhasset's  Island.  He  occupied  himself  in 
overseeing  the  building  of  fifteen  large  bateaux 
in  which  to  transport  his  colony.  Ten  of  these 
flat-bottomed  boats  were  fort}^  feet  long,  ten  feet 
wide,  and  two  and  a  half  feet  deep.  The  ends 
of  the  boats  were  similar,  so  that  they  could  be 
pushed  up  or  down  stream.  One  boat  was  lux- 
uriously fitted  up,  and  intended  to  transport 
Mr.  Blennerhasset  and  family,  proving  most 
conclusively  that  he  knew  nothing  of  any  trea- 
sonable scheme  against  the  United  States. 

The  boats  were  intended  to  carry  five  hundred 
men,  and  the  energy  of  Colonel  Burr  had  en- 
gaged nearly  the  whole  number.  The  El  Dorado 
held  out  to  these  young  men  was  painted  in  the 
most  brilliant  hues  of  Burr's  eloquence.  He  told 
them  that  Jefferson,  who  was  popular  with  them 
all,  approved  the  plan.  That  they  were  to  take 
possession  of  the  immense  grant  purchased  of 
Baron  Bastrop,  but  that  in  case  of  a  war  between 
the  United  States  and  Spain,  which  might  at  any 
time  occur,  as  the  Mexicans  were  very  weary 
of  the  Spanish  3'oke,  Congress  would  send  an 
army  to   protect  the   settlers   and    help  Mexico, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  5 1 

SO  that  a  new  empire  would  be  founded  of  a 
democratic  type,  and  the  settlers  finding  all  on 
an  equalit}-,  would  be  enabled  to  enrich  them- 
selves beyond  all  former  precedent. 

About  this  time  rumors  were  circulated  that 
Aaron  Burr  was  plotting  some  mischief  against 
the  United  States.  Jefferson  himself  became 
alarmed,  knowino-  as  he  so  well  did  the  ambition 
of  Burr  and  his  unprincipled  character.  A  secret 
agent  was  sent  to  make  inquiries  in  regard  to  the 
doino-s  at  Blennerhasset's  Island  and  ^Marietta. 
This  agent,  Mr.  John  Graham,  was  assured  by 
]\Ir.  Blennerhasset  that  nothing  was  intended 
save  the  peaceful  establishment  of  a  colony  on 
the  banks  of  the  Washita. 

Various  reports  still  continued  to  greet  the 
public  ear,  and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  make  Blen- 
nerhasset's  name  disliked.  Some  said  treason 
was  lurking,  and  blamed  him  for  it.  He  was 
openly  spoken  of  as  the  accomplice  of  Burr. 
The  leofislature  of  Ohio  even  made  a  law  to 
suppress  all  expeditions  found  armed,  and  to 
seize  all  boats  and  provisions  belonging  to  such 
expeditions.  The  governor  was  ready  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice  to  call  out  the  state  militia.  A 
cannon  was  placed  on  the  river-bank  at  Marietta, 
and  strict  orders  given  to  examine  every  boat 
that  descended  the  stream. 

Mr.  Blennerhasset  had  no  idea  of  resisting  the 
authorities,  and  gave  up  the  whole  scheme,  de- 


52  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

termined  to  meet  his  heavy  losses  as  best  he 
might. 

Four  boats,  with  about  thirty  men,  had  been 
landed  upon  Blennerhasset's  Island  a  short  time 
before  these  rigorous  measures  had  been  taken. 
They  were  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Tyler,  one  of 
Burr's  agents  from  New  York,  and  he  did  all  in  his 
power  to  urge  Blennerhasset  not  to  retire  at  so 
critical  a  moment.  It  was,  however,  too  late  to 
avert  calamity,  and  the  unfortunate  family  was 
doomed  to   misfortune. 

The  alarming  intelligence  now  reached  the 
island  that  the  Wood  County  militia  was  en  route 
for  that  place,  that  the  boats  would  be  seized, 
the  men  taken  prisoners,  and  probably  the  man- 
sion burned,  as  the  most  desperate  characters  in 
the  surrounding  country  had  volunteered  for 
the  attack.  Urged  by  his  friends,  Blennerhasset 
and  the  few  men  with  him  escaped  b}'  the  boats. 
His  tlio'ht  was  not  a  moment  too  soon,  for  havino- 
been  branded  as  a  traitor,  no  one  knows  what 
miffht  have  befallen  him  had  the  lawless  men 
who  arrived  immediately  after  his  departure 
found  him  in  their  power.  Colonel  Phelps,  the 
commander  of  the  militia,  started  in  pursuit,  and 
the  remainder  of  his  men,  with  no  one  to  restrain 
them,  gave  full  play  to  their  savage  feelings. 
Seven  days  of  riot  followed.  They  took  pos- 
session of  the  house,  broke  into  the  cellars,  and 
drank  the   choice  wines,  until,  more  like  beasts 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  ^;^ 

than  men,  they  made  havoc  of  the  rich  accumu- 
lation of  years.  Everything  was  destroyed.  The 
paintings,  the  ornaments,  rare  glass  and  china, 
family  silver,  furniture,  and,  worst  vandalism  of 
all,  the  flames  were  fed  with  the  choicest  vol- 
umes, many  of  which  never  could  be  duplicated, 
for  the  value  of  Blennerhasset's  library  was 
known   through   all   the    country. 

Mrs.  Blennerhasset  had  remained  upon  the 
island  during  this  week  of  terror,  hoping  by  her 
presence  to  restrain  the  lawless  band,  but  the 
brave  woman  was  at  last  obliged  to  fly  with  her 
two  little  sons,  taking  refuge  on  one  of  the  flat 
river  boats  sent  by  a  friend  to  aflbrd  her  a  way 
of  escape. 

jNIr.  Blennerhasset  was  afterwards  arrested  for 
treason,  but  no  evidence  could  be  found  against 
him,  and  he  was  never  brought  to  trial.  He  in- 
vested the  little  means  left  him  in  a  cotton  plan- 
tation near  Natchez,  where,  with  his  devoted 
wife,  he  tried  to  retrieve  his  fallen  fortunes.  The 
second  war  with  England  rendered  his  plantation 
worthless,  and  returning  by  way  of  Montreal  to 
his  native  land,  he  died  a  broken-hearted  man, 
leaving  his  wife  in  destitute  circumstances.  An 
attempt  was  made  by  her  friends  to  obtain  some 
return  for  the  destruction  of  their  property  from 
the  United  States  government,  but  all  proved  of 
no  avail,  and  she  who  had  always  been  surround- 
ed by  wealth  and  luxury,  was,  during  her  last 


54 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


hours,  dependent  upon  the  charity  of  a  society  of 
Irish  ladies  in  New  York  city,  who  with  tender- 
ness nursed  her  unto  the  end,  and  then  took  upon 
themselves  the  expenses  of  her  interment. 

.Such  is  the  sad  story  of  Blennerhasset  and  his 
wife;  and  I  thought,  as  I  quietly  moored  m}^  boat 
in  a  little  creek  that  mintJ^led  its  current  with  the 
great  river,  near  the  lower  end  of  the  island  which 
was  once  such  a  happy  home,  of  the  uncertainty 
of  all  earthly  prosperity,  and  the  necessity  there 
was  for  making  the  most  of  the  present,  —  which 
last  idea  sent  a  sleepy  sailor  hastil}^  under  his 
hatch. 


JnDIAN    yVLoUND,     AT    yVloUNDSYILLE,     y/EST     yiRGINIA. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  55 


CHAPTER    IV. 

FROM  BLENNERHASSET'S  ISLAND  TO  CINCINNATI. 

RIVER  CAMPS.  —  THE  SHANTY-BOATS  AND  RIVER  MIGRANTS. — 
VARIOUS  EXPERIENCES.  —  ARRIVAL  AT  CINCINNATI.  —  THE 
SNEAK-BOX  FROZEN  UP  IN  PLEASANT  RUN.  —  A  TAILOR's 
FAMILY.  —  A    NIGHT    UNDER    A    GERMAN    COVERLET. 

ABOUT  this  time  the  selection  of  resting- 
places  for  the  night  became  an  important 
feature  of  the  voyage.  It  was  easy  to  draw  the 
little  craft  out  of  the  water  on  to  a  smooth, 
shelving  beach,  but  such  places  did  not  always 
appear  at  the  proper  time  for  ending  the  day's 
rowing.  The  banks  were  frequently  precipitous, 
and,  destitute  of  beaches,  frowned  down  upon 
the  lonely  vo3'ager  in  anything  but  a  hospitable 
manner.  There  were  also  present  two  elements 
antagonistic  to  my  peace  of  mind.  One  was  the 
night  steamer,  which,  as  it  struggled  up  stream, 
coursinof  alon^  shore  to  avoid  the  strons^  current, 
sent  swashy  waves  to  disturb  my  dreams  by 
pitching  my  little  craft  about  in  the  roughest 
manner.  A  lio^ht  canoe  could  easilv  have  been 
carried  further  inland,  out  of  reach  of  the  un- 
welcome waves,  and  would,  so  far  as  that  went, 
have  made  a  more  quiet  resting-place  than  the 


56  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

heavy  duck-boat;  but  then,  on  the  other  hand, 
a  sleeping-apartment  in  a  canoe  would  have 
lacked  the  roominess  and  security  of  the  sneak- 
box. 

After  the  first  few  nights'  camping  on  the 
Ohio,  I  naturally  took  to  the  channelless  side  of 
one  of  the  numerous  islands  which  dot  the  river's 
surface,  or,  what  was  still  better,  penetrated 
into  the  wild-looking  creeks  and  rivers,  more 
than  one  hundred  of  which  enter  the  parent 
stream  along  the  thousand  miles  of  its  course. 
Here,  in  these  secluded  nooks,  I  found  security 
from  the   steamer's  swash. 

The  second  objectionable  element  on  the 
Ohio  was  the  presence  of  tramps,  rough  boat- 
men, and  scoundrels  of  all  kinds.  In  fact,  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  are  the  grand  high- 
way of  the  West  for  a  large  class  of  vagabonds. 
One  of  these  fellows  will  steal  something  of 
value  from  a  farm  near  the  river,  seize  the  first 
bateau,  or  skiff,  he  can  find,  cross  the  stream, 
and  descend  it  for  fifty  or  a  hundred  miles. 
He  will  then  abandon  the  stolen  boat  if  he 
cannot  sell  it,  ship  as  working-hand  upon  the 
first  steamer  or  coal-ark  he  happens  to  meet, 
descend  the  river  still  further,  and  so  escape 
detection. 

To  avoid  these  rough  characters,  as  well  as 
the  drunken  crews  of  shanty-boats,  it  was  neces- 
sary always  to  enter  the  night's  camping-ground 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  57 

unobserved;  but  when  once  secreted  on  the 
wooded  shore  of  some  friendly  creek,  covered 
by  the  dusky  shades  of  night,  I  felt  perfectly 
safe,  and  had  no  fear  of  a  night  attack  from 
an}'  one.  Securely  shut  in  my  strong  box, 
with  a  hatchet  and  a  Colt's  revolver  by  my  side, 
and  a  double-barrelled  gun,  carefully  charged, 
snugly  stowed  under  the  deck,  the  intruder 
would  have  been  in  danger,  and  not  the  occu- 
pant of  the  sneak-box. 

The  hatch,  or  cover,  which  rested  upon  the 
stern  of  the  boat  during  rowing-hours,  was  at 
night  dropped  over  the  hold,  or  well,  in  such 
a  way  as  to  give  plenty  of  ventilation,  and 
still,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  easily  and  in- 
stantly removed  in  case  of  need. 

I  must  not  fail  here  to  mention  one  char- 
acteristic feature  possessed  by  the  sneak-box 
which  gives  it  an  advantage  over  every  other 
boat  I  have  examined.  Its  deck  is  nowhere 
level,  and  if  a  person  attempts  to  step  upon  it 
while  it  is  alioat,  his  foot  touches  the  periph- 
ery of  a  circle,  and  the  spoon-shaped,  keelless, 
little  craft  flies  out  as  if  by  magic  from  under 
the  pressure  of  the  foot,  and  without  further 
warning  the  luckless  intruder  falls  into  the 
water. 

At  the  summer  watering-places  in  Barnegat 
Bay  it  used  to  be  a  great  source  of  amusement 
to  the  boatmen   to   tie   a  sneak-box  to   a  land- 


58  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ing,  and  wait  quietly  near  by  to  see  the  city 
bo^^s  attempt  to  get  into  her.  Instead  of  step- 
ping safely  and  easily  into  the  hold,  they  would 
invariably  step  upon  the  rounded  deck,  when 
away  would  shoot  the  slippery  craft,  and  the 
unsuccessful  boarder  would  fall  into  two  feet 
of  water,  to  the  great  amusement  of  his  com- 
rades. When  once  inside  of  the  sneak-box,  it 
becomes  the  stiffest  and  steadiest  of  crafts. 
Two  men  can  stand  upright  upon  the  floor- 
ing of  the  hold  and  paddle  her  along  rapidly, 
with  very  little  careening  to  right  or  Ictt. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  and  peculiar  feat- 
ures of  a  winter's  row  down  the  Ohio  are  the 
life-studies  offered  by  the  occupants  of  the  nu- 
merous shanty-boats  daily  encountered.  They 
are  sometimes  called,  and  justly  too,  family- 
boats,  and  serve  as  the  winter  homes  of  a 
singular  class  of  people,  carrying  their  passen- 
gers and  cargoes  froin  the  icy  region  ot  the 
Ohio  to  New  Orleans.  Their  annual  descent 
of  the  river  resembles  the  migration  of  birds, 
and  we  invariably  find  those  of  a  feather  flock- 
ing toirether.  It  would  be  hard  to  trace  these 
creatures  to  their  lair;  but  the  Alleghany  and 
Monongahela  region,  with  the  towns  of  the  up- 
per Ohio,  may  be  said  to  furnish  most  of  them. 
Let  them  come  from  where  they  may  (and  we 
feel  sure  none  will  quarrel  for  the  honor  of 
calling    them    citizens),    the    fall    of    the     leaf 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  59 

seems  to  be  the  signal  for  looking  up  winter- 
quarters,  and  the  river  with  its  swift  current 
the  inviting  path  to  warmer  suns  and  an  easy 
life. 

The  shanty-boatman  looks  to  the  river  not 
only  for  his  life,  but  also  for  the  means  of  mak- 
ing that  life  pleasant;  so  he  fishes  in  the  stream 
for  floating  lumber  in  the  form  of  boards,  planks, 
and  scantlino^  for  framin":  to  build  his  home.  It 
is  soon  ready.  A  scow,  or  flatboat,  about  twenty 
feet  long  by  ten  or  twelve  wide,  is  roughly  con- 
structed. It  is  made  of  two-inch  planks  spiked 
together.  These  scows  are  calked  with  oakum 
and  rags,  and  the  seams  are  made  water-tight 
with  pitch  or  tar.  A  small,  low  house  is  built 
upon  the  boat,  and  covers  about  two-thirds  of 
it,  leaving  a  cockpit  at  each  end,  in  which  the 
crews  work  the  sweeps,  or  oars,  which  govern 
the  motions  of  the  shanty-boat.  If  the  propri- 
etor of  the  boat  has  a  family,  he  puts  its  mem- 
bers on  board,  —  not  forgetting  the  pet  dogs 
and  cats,  —  with  a  small  stock  of  salt  pork, 
bacon,  flour,  potatoes,  molasses,  salt,  and  coftee. 
An  old  cooking-stove  is  set  up  in  the  shanty,  and 
its  sheet-iron  pipe,  projecting  through  the  roof, 
makes  a  chimney  a  superfluity.  Rough  bunks, 
or  berths,  are  constructed  for  sleeping-quarters; 
but  if  the  famil}^  are  the  happy  possessors  of  any 
furniture,  it  is  put  on  board,  and  adds  greatly  to 
their  respectability.     A  number   of  steel    traps. 


60  FOUR   MONTHS    IN   A    SNEAK-BOX. 

with  the  usual  double-barrelled  gun,  or  riflej 
and  a  good  supply  of  ammunition,  constitute  the 
most  important  supplies  of  the  shanty-boat,  and 
are  never  forgotten.  Of  these  family-boats  alone 
I  passed  over  two  hundred  on  the  Ohio. 

This  rude,  unpainted  structure,  with  its  door 
at  each  end  of  the  shanty,  and  a  few  windows 
relieving  the  barrenness  of  its  sides,  makes  a 
very  comfortable  home  for  its  rough  occupants. 

If  the  shanty-man  be  a  widower  or  a  bach- 
elor, or  even  if  he  be  a  married  man  labor- 
ing under  the  belief  that  his  wife  and  he  are 
not  true  affinities,  and  that  there  is  more  war 
in  the  house  than  is  good  for  the  peace  of  the 
household,  he  looks  about  for  a  housekeeper. 
She  must  be  some  congenial  spirit,  who  wnll 
fr}^  his  bacon  and  wash  his  shirts  without  mur- 
muring. Having  found  one  whom  he  fondly 
thinks  will  "  fill  the  bill,"'''  he  next  proceeds  to 
picture  to  her  vivid  imagination  the  delights  of 
''''  drift  in gP  "Nothing  to  do,"  he  says,  "but 
to  float  with  the  current,  and  eat  fresh  pork, 
and  take  a  hand  at  euchre."  The  woods,  he 
tells  her,  are  full  of  hogs.  They  shall  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  his  unfailing  gun,  and  after  them, 
when  further  south,  the  golden  orange  shall  de- 
light her  thirst}'  soul,  while  all  the  sugar-cane 
she  can  chew  shall  be  gathered  for  her.  Add 
to  these  the  luxury  of  plenty  of  snufl:'  with 
which  to  rub  her  dainty  gums,  with  the  promise 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  6 1 

of  tobacco  enough  to  keep  her  pipe  always  full, 
and  it  will  be  hard  to  lind  arnon^  this  class  a 
fair  one  with  sufficient  streno-th  of  mind  to  resist 
such  an  offer;  so  she  promises  to  keep  house  for 
him  as  long  as  the  shanty-boat  holds  together. 

Her  embarkation  is  characteristic.  Whatever 
her  attire,  the  bonnet  is  there,  gay  w^th  flowers; 
a  pack  of  cards  is  tight)}'  grasped  in  her  hand; 
while  a  worn,  old  trunk,  tied  with  a  cord  and 
fondly  called  a  ""Saratoga,"  is  hoisted  on  board; 
and  SO,  for  better  or  for  worse,  she  goes  forth 
to  meet  her  fate,  or,  as  she  expresses  it,  "  to  find 
luck." 

More  than  one  quarrel  usually  occurs  during 
the  descent  of  the  Mississippi,  and  by  the  time 
New  Orleans  is  reached  the  shanty-boatman  sets 
his  quondam  housekeeper  adrift,  where,  in  the 
swift  current  of  life,  she  is  caught  by  kindred 
spirits,  and  being  introduced  to  city  society  as 
the  Northern  Lily,  or  Pittsburgh  Rose,  is  soon 
lost  to  sight,  and  never  returns  to  the  far  distant 
up-river  countr}'. 

Another  shanty-boat  is  built  by  a  party  of 
young  men  suffering  from  impecuniosit}*.  They 
are  "  out  of  a  job,"  and  to  them  the  charms  of 
an  independent  life  on  the  river  is  irresistible. 
Having  pooled  their  few  dollars  to  build  their 
floating  home,  they  descend  to  New  Orleans  as 
negro  minstrels,  trappers,  or  thieves,  as  neces- 
sity may  demand. 


62  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Cobblers  set  afloat  their  establishments,  calling 
attention  to  the  fact  by  the  creaking  sign  of  a 
boot;  and  here  on  the  rushing  river  a  man  can 
have  his  heel  tapped  as  easily  as  on  shore. 

Tin-smiths,  agents  and  repairers  of  sewing- 
machines,  grocers,  saloon-keepers,  barbers,  and 
every  trade  indeed  is  here  represented  on  these 
floating  dens.  I  saw  one  circus-boat  with  a  ring 
twenty-five  feet  in  diameter  upon  it,  in  which  a 
troop  of  horsemen,  acrobats,  and  fl3'ing  trapeze 
artists  performed  while  their  boat  was  tied  to  a 
landing. 

The  occupants  of  the  shanty-boats  float  upon 
the  stream  with  the  current,  rarely  doing  any 
rowing  with  their  heavy  sweeps.  They  keep 
steadily  on  their  course  till  a  milder  climate  is 
reached,  when  thc}^  work  their  clumsy  craft  into 
some  little  creek  or  river,  and  securely  fasten  it  to 
the  bank.  The  men  set  their  well-baited  steel 
traps  along  the  wooded  watercourse  for  mink, 
coons,  and  foxes.  They  give  their  whole  atten- 
tion to  these  traps,  and  in  the  course  of  a  winter 
secure  many  skins.  While  in  the  Mississippi 
country,  however,  they  find  other  game,  and 
feast  upon  the  hogs  of  the  woods'  people.  To 
prevent  detection,  the  skin,  with  the  swine-herd's 
peculiar  mark  upon  it,  is  stripped  off"  and  buried. 

When  engaged  in  the  precarious  occupation 
of  hog-stealing,  the  shanty-man  is  careful  to 
keep    a    goodly    number    of   the    skins   of   wild 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  6;;^ 

animals  stretched  upon  the  outside  walls  of  his 
cabin,  so  that  visitors  to  his  boat  may  be  led  to 
imao'ine  that  he  is  an  industrious  and  lesfiti- 
mate  trapper,  of  high-toned  feelings,  and  one 
^'who  wouldn't  stick  a  man's  hog  for  no  money." 
If  there  be  a  relis^ious  meetins:  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  shanty-boat,  the  whole  family  attend  it  with 
alacrit}',  and  prove  that  their  belief  in  honest 
doctrines  is  a  very  ditferent  thing  from  their 
daily  practice  of  the  same.  They  join  with 
vigor  in  the  shoutings,  and  their  "amens''  drown 
all  others,  while  their  excitable  natures,  worked 
upon  by  the  wild  eloquence  of  the  backwoods' 
preacher,  seem  to  give  evidence  of  a  firm  de- 
sire to  lead  Christian  lives,  and  the  spectator  is 
often  deceived  by  their  apparent  earnestness 
and  sincerity.  Such  ideas  are,  however,  quickly 
dispelled  by  a  visit  to  a  shant3'^-boat,  and  a 
glimpse  of  these  people  "  at  home.'''' 

The  great  fleet  of  shanty-boats  does  not  be- 
gin to  reach  New  Orleans  until  the  approach 
of  spring.  Once  there,  they  find  a  market  for 
the  skins  of  the  animals  trapped  during  the 
winter,  and  these  being  sold  for  cash,  the  trap- 
per disposes  of  his  boat  for  a  nominal  sum  to 
some  one  in  need  of  cheap  firewood,  and  pur- 
chasing lower-deck  tickets  for  Cairo,  or  Pitts- 
burgh, at  from  four  to  six  dollars  per  head, 
places  his  family  upon  an  up-river  steamer,  and 
returns  with  the  spring  birds  to  the  Ohio  River, 


64  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

to  rent  a  small  piece  of  ground  for  the  season, 
where  he  can  "  make  a  crop  of  corn,"  and  raise 
some  cabbage  and  potatoes,  upon  which  to  sub- 
sist until  it  be  time  to  repeat  his  southern  migra- 
tion. 

In  this  descent  of  the  river,  many  persons,  who 
have  clubbed  together  to  meet  the  expenses  of  a 
shanty-boat  life  for  the  first  time,  and  who  are 
of  a  sentimental  turn  of  mind,  look  upon  the  voy- 
age as  a  romantic  era  in  their  lives.  Visions  of 
basking  in  the  sunlight,  feasting,  and  sleeping, 
dance  before  their  benighted  eyes;  for  they  are 
not  all  of  the  low,  ignorant  class  I  have  described. 
Professors,  teachers,  musicians,  all  drift  at  times 
down  the  river;  and  one  is  often  startled  at  find- 
ing in  the  apparently  rough  crew  men  who  seem 
worthy  of  a  better  fate.  To  these  the  river  expe- 
riences are  generally  new,  and  the  ribald  jokes 
and  low  river  slang,  with  the  ever-accompany- 
ing cheap  corn-whiskey  and  the  nightly  riots  over 
cutthroat  euchre,  must  be  at  first  a  revelation. 
Hundreds  of  these  low  fellows  will  swear  to  you 
that  the  world  owes  them  a  living,  and  that  they 
mean  to  have  it;  that  they  are  gentlemen,  and 
therefore  cannot  work.  They  pay  a  good  price 
for  their  indolence,  as  the  neglect  of  their  craft 
and  their  loose  ideas  of  navigation  seldom  fail  to 
bring  them  to  grief  before  they  even  reach  the 
Mississippi  at  Cairo.  Their  heavy,  flat-bottomed 
boat  gets  impaled  upon  a  snag  or  the  sharp  top 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  65 

of  a  sawyer;  and  as  the  luckless  craft  spins  round 
with  the  current,  a  hole  is  punched  through  the 
bottom,  the  water  rushes  in  and  takes  possession, 
driving  the  inexperienced  crew  to  the  little  boat 
usually  carried  in  tow  for  any  emergency. 

Into  this  boat  the  shanty-men  hastily  store  their 
guns,  whiskey,  and  such  property  as  they  can 
save  from  the  wreck,  and  making  for  the  shore, 
hold  a  council  of  war. 

There,  in  the  swift  current,  lies  the  centre  of 
their  hopes,  quickly  settling  in  the  deep  water, 
soon  to  be  seen  no  more.  The  fact  now  seems 
to  dawn  upon  them  for  the  first  time  that  a  little 
seamanship  is  needed  even  in  descending  a 
river,  that  with  a  little  care  their  Noah's  Ark 
might  have  been  kept  afloat,  and  the  treacherous 
^' bob  sawyer"  avoided.  This  trap  for  careless 
sailors  is  a  tree,  with  its  roots  held  in  the  river's 
bottom,  and  its  broken  top  bobbing  up  and  down 
with  the  undulations  of  the  current.  Boatmen 
give  it  the  euphonious  title  of  ■' bob  sawyer" 
because  of  the  bobbing  and  sawing  motions  im- 
parted to  it  by  the  pulsations  of  the  water. 

Destitute  of  means,  these  children  of  circum- 
stance resolve  never  to  say  die.  Their  ship  has 
gone  down,  but  their  pride  is  left,  and  they  will 
not  go  home  till  they  have  "  </c>;/e "  the  river; 
and  so,  repairing  to  the  first  landing,  they  ship  in 
pairs  upon  freighters  descending  the  stream. 
Some  months   later  they  return  to  their  homes 

5 


66  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

with  seedy  habiliments   but  an   enlarged  expe- 
rience, sadder  but  wiser  men. 

And  so  the  s^reat  flood  of  river  life  o-oes  on, 
and  out  of  this  annual  custom  of  shanty-boat  mi- 
gration a  peculiar  phase  of  American  character 
is  developed,  a  curious  set  of  educated  and 
illiterate  nomads,  as  restless  and  unprofitable  a 
class  of  inhabitants  as  can  be  found  in  all  the 
great  West. 

After  leaving  my  camp  near  Blennerhasset's 
Island,  on  December  9,  the  features  of  the  land- 
scape changed.  The  hills  lost  their  altitude,  and 
seemed  farther  back  from  the  water,  while  the 
river  itself  appeared  to  widen.  Snow  squalls 
filled  the  air,  and  the  thought  of  a  comfortable 
camping-ground  for  the  night  was  a  welcome 
one.  About  dusk  I  retired  into  the  first  creek 
above  Letart's  Landing,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Ohio,  where  I  spent  the  night.  The  next  fore- 
noon I  entered  a  region  of  salt  wells,  with  a 
number  of  flourishing  little  towns  scattered  here 
and  there  upon  the  borders  of  the  stream.  One 
of  these,  called  Hartford  City,  had  a  well  eleven 
hundred  and  seventy  feet  in  depth.  From  an- 
other well  in  the  vicinity  both  oil  and  salt-water 
were  raised  by  means  of  a  steam-pump.  These 
oil-wells  were  half  a  mile  back  of  the  river. 
Coal-mines  were  frequently  passed  in  this  neigh- 
borhood on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio. 

After  dark  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  67 

camping-place  in  a  low  swamp  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  stream,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  was. a 
gloomy-looking,  deserted  house.  I  climbed  the 
slippery  bank  with  my  cooking  kit  upon  my 
back,  and  finding  some  refuse  wood  in  w^hat  had 
once  been  a  kitchen,  made  a  fire,  and  enjoyed 
the  first  meal  I  had  been  able  to  cook  in  camp 
since  the  vo3''age  was  commenced. 

Cold  winds  whistled  round  me  all  night,  but 
the  snug  nest  in  my  boat  was  warm  and  cheerful, 
for  I  lighted  my  candle,  and  by  its  clear  flame 
made  up  my  daily  "  log."  There  were,  of  course, 
some  inconveniences  in  resfard  to  lio^htins:  so 
low-studded  a  chamber.  It  was  important  to 
have  a  candle  of  not  more  than  two  inches  in 
length,  so  that  the  flame  should  not  go  too  near 
the  roof  of  my  domicile.  Then  the  space  being 
small,  my  literary  labors  were  of  necessity  per- 
formed in  a  reclining  position;  while  lying  upon 
my  side,  my  shoulder  almost  touched  the  carlines 
of  the  hatch  above. 

Saturday  was  as  raw  and  blustering  as  the 
previous  day,  so  hastily  breakfasting  upon  the 
remains  of  my  supper,  —  cold  chocolate,  cold 
corned  beef,  and  cold  crackers,  —  I  determined 
to  get  into  a  milder  region  as  soon  as  possible. 

As  I  rowed  down  the  stream,  the  peculiar  ap- 
pearance of  the  Barnegat  sneak-box  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  men  on  board  the  coal-barges, 
shanty-boats,  &c.,  and  they  invariably  crowded 


68  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

to  the  side  I  passed,  besieging  me  with  questions 
of  every  description,  such  as,  "  Say,  stranger, 
where  did  you  steal  that  pumpkin-seed  looking 
boat  from?"  "How  much  did  she  cost,  an}^ 
way?"  "Ain't  ye  afeard  some  steamboat  will 
swash  the  life  out  of  her?  "  On  several  occasions 
I  raised  the  water-apron,  and  explained  how  the 
little  sneak-box  shed  the  water  that  washed  over 
her  bows,  when  these  rough  fellows  seemed 
much  impressed  with  the  excellent  qualities  of 
the  boat,  and  frankly  acknowledged  that  "  it 
might  pay  a  fellow  to  steal  one  if  there  was  a 
good  show  for  such  a  trick." 

At  three  o'clock  p.  m.  I  passed  the  town  of 
Guyandot,  which  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  at  its  junction  with  the  Big  Guyandot. 
Three  miles  below  Guyandot  is  the  growing  city 
of  Huntington,  the  Ohio  River  terminus  of  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railroad,  which  has  a 
total  length  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-five  miles, 
exclusive  of  six  private  branches.  The  Atlantic 
coast  terminus  is  on  the  James  River,  Chesa- 
peake Bay. 

The  snow  squalls  now  became  so  frequent,  and 
the  atmosphere  was  so  chilly  and  penetrating, 
that  I  was  driven  from  the  swashy  waves  of  the 
troubled  Ohio,  and  eagerly  sought  refuge  in 
Fourfold  Creek,  about  a  league  below  Hunting- 
ton, where  the  high,  wooded  banks  of  the  little 
tributary  offered  me  protection  and  rest. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  69 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  I  was  con- 
scious of  a  change  of  temperature.  It  was 
growing  colder.  A  keen  wind  whistled  through 
the  tree-tops.  I  was  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of 
having  my  boat  fastened  in  the  creek  by  the  con- 
gealing of  its  waters,  so  I  pushed  out  upon  the 
Ohio  and  hastened  towards  a  warmer  climate  as 
fast  as  oars,  muscles,  and  a  friendly  current 
would  carry  me.  The  shanty-boatmen  had  in- 
formed me  that  the  Ohio  might  freeze  up  in  a 
single  night,  in  -places^  even  as  near  its  mouth 
as  Cairo.  I  did  not,  however,  feel  so  much 
alarmed  in  regard  to  the  river  as  I  did  about  its 
tributaries.  The  Ohio  was  not  likely  to  remain 
sealed  up  for  more  than  a  few  days  at  a  time, 
but  the  creeks,  my  harbors  of  refuge,  my  lodg- 
ing-places, might  remain  frozen  up  for  a  long 
time,  and  put  me  to  serious  inconvenience. 

About  ten  o'clock  a.m.  the  duck-boat  crossed 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  River,  the  limit  of 
Virginia,  and  I  floated  along  the  shores  of  the 
grand  old  state  of  Kentucky  on  the  left,  while 
the  immense  state  of  Ohio  still  skirted  the  right 
bank  of  the  river. 

The  agricultural  features  of  the  Ohio  valley 
had  been  increasing  in  attractiveness  with  the 
descent  of  the  stream.  The  high  bottom-lands 
of  the  valley  exhibited  signs  of  careful  cultiva- 
tion, while  substantial  brick  houses  here  and 
there   dotted  the  landscape.     Interspersed    with 


70  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

these  were  the  inevitable  log-cabins  and  dingy 
hovels,  speaking  plainly  of  the  poverty  and  shift- 
lessness  of  some  of  the  inhabitants. 

At  four  p.  M.  I  could  endure  the  cold  no 
lono;er,  and  when  a  beautiful  creek  with  wooded 
shores,  which  divided  fine  farms,  opened  invit- 
ingly before  me  on  the  Kentucky  side,  I  quickly 
entered  it,  and  moored  the  sneak-box  to  an 
ancient  sycamore  whose  trunk  rose  out  of  the 
water  twelve  feet  from  shore.  I  was  not  a  mo- 
ment too  soon  in  leaving  the  wide  river,  for  as  I 
quietly  supped  on  my  cold  bread  and  meat,  which 
needed  no  better  sauce  than  my  daily  increasing 
appetite  to  make  it  tempting,  the  wind  increased 
to  a  tempest,  and  screeched  and  howled  through 
the  forest  with  such  wintry  blasts  that  I  was  glad 
to  creep  under  my  hatch  before  dark. 

On  Monday,  December  13,  the  violent  wind 
storm  continuing,  I  remained  all  day  in  my  box, 
writing  letters  and  watching  the  scuds  flying 
over  the  tops  of  high  trees.  At  noon  a  party  of 
hunters,  with  a  small  pack  of  hounds,  came  ab- 
ruptly upon  my  camp.  Though  boys  only,  they 
carried  shot-guns,  and  expectorated  enough 
tobacco-juice  to  pass  for  the  type  of  western 
manhood.  They  chatted  pleasantly  round  my 
boat,  though  each  sentence  that  fell  from  their 
lips  was  emphasized  by  its  accompanying  oath. 
I  asked  them  the  name  of  the  creek,  when  one 
replied,  "Why,  boss,  you  don  t  call  this  a  creek, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  7 1 

do  you?  Why,  there  is  twenty  foot  of  Avater  in 
it.  It's  the  Tiger  River,  and  comes  a  heap  of  a 
long  way  off."  Another  said,  "  Look  here,  cap'n, 
I  wouldn't  travel  alone  in  that  'ere  little  skiff,  for 
when  you're  in  camp  any  feller  might  put  a  ball 
into  you  from  a  high  bank."  "Yes,"  added  an- 
other, "there  is  plenty  o'  folks  along  the  river 
that  would  do  it,  too." 

As  m}^  camp  had  become  known,  I  acted  upon 
the  friendly  hint  of  the  boy-hunters,  and  took  my 
departure  the  next  day  at  an  early  hour,  follow- 
ing the  left  bank  of  the  river,  which  afforded  me 
a  lee  shore.  As  I  dashed  through  the  swashy 
waves,  with  the  apron  of  the  boat  securely  set  to 
keep  the  water  from  wetting  my  back,  the  sun  in 
all  its  grandeur  parted  the  clouds  and  lighted  up 
the  landscape  until  ever3'thing  partook  of  its 
briijhtness.  This  was  the  second  time  in  two 
weeks  that  the  God  of  Day  had  asserted  his  su- 
premac}',  and  his  advent  was  fully  appreciated. 

Two  miles  below  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  I  encoun- 
tered a  solitary  voyager  in  a  skiff,  shooting  mal- 
lards about  the  mouths  of  the  creeks,  and  having 
discovered  that  he  was  a  gentleman,  I  intrusted 
my  mail  to  his  keeping,  and  pushed  on  to  a  little 
creek  beyond  Rome,  where,  thanks  to  good  for- 
tune, some  dry  wood  was  discovered.  A  bright 
blaze  was  soon  lighting  up  the  darkness  of  the 
thicket  into  which  I  had  drawn  my  boat,  and  the 
hot  supper,  now  cooked  in  camp,  and  served 
without  ceremony,  was  duly  relished. 


72  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

The  deck  of  the  boat  was  covered  with  a  thin 
coating  of  ice,  and  as  the  wind  went  down  the 
temperature  continued  to  fall  until  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  when  I  considered  it  unsafe  to  lin- 
ger a  moment  longer  in  the  creek,  the  surface  of 
which  was  already  frozen  over,  and  the  ice  be- 
coming thicker  every  hour.  An  oar  served  to 
break  a  passage-way  from  the  creek  to  the  Ohio, 
which  I  descended  in  a  blustering  wind,  being 
frequently  driven  to  seek  shelter  under  the  lee 
afforded  by  points  of  land. 

At  sunset  I  reached  Maysville,  where  the  cel- 
ebrated Daniel  Boone,  the  pioneer  of  Kentucky 
backwoods  life,  once  lived;  and  as  the  wind 
began  to  fall,  I  pulled  into  a  fine  creek  about  four 
miles  below  the  village,  having  made  twenty- 
nine  miles  under  most  discouraging  circum- 
stances. The  river  was  here,  as  elsewhere, 
lighted  by  small  hand-lanterns  hung  upon  posts. 
The  lights  were,  however,  so  dull,  and,  where  the 
channel  was  not  devious,  at  such  long  intervals, 
that  they  only  added  to  the  gloom. 

As  the  wind  generally  rose  and  fell  with  the  sun, 
it  became  necessary  to  adopt  a  new  plan  to  expe- 
dite my  voyage,  and  the  river  being  usually  smooth 
at  dawn  of  day,  an  early  start  was  an  imperative 
duty.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  duck- 
boat  was  under  way,  her  captain  cheered  by  the 
hope  of  arriving  in  Cincinnati,  the  great  city  of 
the  Ohio  valley,  by  sunset.     I  plied  my  oars  vig- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  73 

orously  all  day,  and  when  darkness  settled  upon 
the  land,  was  rewarded  for  my  exertions  by 
having  my  little  craft  shoot  under  the  first  bridge 
that  connects  Cincinnati  with  Kentucky.  Here 
steamers,  coal-barges,  and  river  craft  of  every 
description  lined  the  Ohio  as  well  as  the  Ken- 
tucky shore.  Iron  cages  filled  with  burning 
coals  were  suspended  from  cranes  erected  upon 
flatboats  for  the  purpose  of  lighting  the  river, 
which  was  most  efiectuall}'  done,  the  unwonted 
brilliancy  giving  to  the  busy  scene  a  strange 
weirdness,  and  making  a  picture  never  to  be 
forgotten. 

The  swift  current  now  carried  me  under  the 
suspension-bridge  which  connects  Cincinnati  and 
Covington,  and  my  boat  entered  the  dark  area 
below,  when  suddenly  the  river  was  clouded  in 
snow,  as  fierce  squalls  came  up  the  stream,  and 
I  eagerly  scanned  the  high,  dark  banks  to  find 
some  inlet  to  serve  as  harbor  for  the  night.  It 
was  very  dark,  and  I  hugged  the  Kentucky  shore 
as  closely  as  I  dared.  Suddenly  a  gleam  of  light, 
like  a  break  in  a  fog-bank,  opened  upon  my  craft, 
and  the  dim  outlines  of  the  sides  of  a  gorge  in  the 
high  coast  caught  my  e3'^e.  It  was  not  necessary 
to  row  into  the  cleft  in  the  hillside,  for  a  fierce 
blast  of  the  tempest  blew  me  into  the  little  creek; 
nor  was  my  progress  stayed  until  the  sneak-box 
was  driven  several  rods  into  its  dark  interior,  and 
entangled  in  the  branches  of  a  fallen  tree. 


74  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

In  the  blinding  snowfall  it  was  impossible  to 
discern  anything  upon  the  steep  banks  of  the  little 
creek  which  had  fairly  forced  its  hospitality  upon 
me;  so,  carefully  fastening  my  painter  to  the 
fallen  tree,  I  hastily  disappeared  below  my  hatch. 
During  the  night  the  mercury  fell  to  six  degrees 
above  zero,  but  my  quarters  were  so  comforta- 
ble that  little  inconvenience  from  the  cold  w^as 
experienced  until  morning,  w^hen  I  attempted  to 
make  my  toilet  with  an  open  hatch.  Then  I  dis- 
covered the  unpleasant  fact  that  my  boat  was 
securely  frozen  up  in  the  waters  of  the  creek! 
Being  without  a  stove,  and  finding  that  my  canned 
provisions  —  not  having  been  wrapped  in  several 
coverings  like  their  owner,  and  having  no  power 
to  convert  oxygen  into  fuel  for  warmth  —  were 
solidifying,  I  locked  my  hatch,  and  scrambled  up 
the  high  banks  to  seek  the  comforts  of  that  civil- 
ization which  I  had  so  gladl}^  left  behind  when 
I  embarked  at  a  point  five  hundred  miles  further 
up  the  river,  thinking  as  I  went  what  a  contrary 
mortal  man  was,  myself  among  the  number,  for 
I  "was  as  eager  now  to  find  my  human  brother  as 
I  had  been  to  turn  my  back  upon  him  a  short 
time  before.  The  poetry  of  solitude  was  frozen 
into  prose,  and  the  low  temperature  around  me 
made  life  under  a  roof  seem  attractive  for  the 
time  being,  though,  judging  from  the  general 
aspect  of  things,  there  was  not  much  to  look  for- 
ward to,  in  either  a  social  or  comfortable  light,  in 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  75 

my  immediate  vicinit}'.  I  was,  however,  too  cold 
and  too  hungry  to  be  dainty,  and  felt  like  Dick- 
ens's Mrs.  Bloss,  that  I  ^'  must  have  nourish- 
ment." 

A  turnpike  crossed  the  ravine  a  few  rods  from 
mv  boat,  and  the  tollgate-keeper  informed  me 
that  I  was  frozen  up  in  Pleasant  Run,  near  which 
were  several  small  houses.  Upon  application 
for  '^^  boarding''''  accommodations  I  discovered 
that  breakfast  at  Pleasant  Run  was  a  mova- 
ble feast,  that  some  had  already  taken  it  at  seven 
A.  M.,  and  that  others  would  not  have  it  ready 
till  three  p.  m.  This  was  anything  but  encour- 
aging to  a  cold  and  hungry  man;  but  I  at  length 
obtained  admission  to  the  house  of  a  German 
tailor,  and,  explaining  my  condition,  offered  to 
pay  him  liberally  for  the  privilege  of  becoming 
his  guest  until  the  cold  snap  was  over.  He  exam- 
ined me  closely,  and  having  made,  as  it  were,  a 
mental  inventory  of  m}^  features,  dress,  &c.,  ex- 
claimed, ^'  Mine  friend,  in  dese  times  nobody 
knows  who  's  which.  I  say,  sar,  nobody  knows 
who 's  what.  Fellers  land  here  and  eats  mine 
grub,  and  den  shoves  off  dere  poats,  and  nevar 
says  ^tank  you,  sar,'  for  mine  grub.  Since  de 
confederate  war  all  men  is  skamps,  I  does  full}^ 
pelieve.  I  fights  twenty-doo  patties  for  de  Union, 
nots  for  de  monish,  but  because  I  likes  de  free 
government;  but  it  is  imbossible  to  feeds  all  de 
beebles  what  lands  at  Pleasant  Run." 


76  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

I  assured  this  patriotic  tailor  and  adopted  citi- 
zen that  I  would  pay  him  well  for  the  trouble  of 
boarding  me,  but  he  answered  in  a  surly  way: 

"^  Dafs  vat  dey  all  says.  It's  to  be  all  pay,  but 
dey  eats  up  de  sour-crout  and  de  fresh  pork,  and 
drinks  de  cotfee,  and  ven  I  looks  for  de  monish, 
de  gentlemens  has  disappeared  down  de  rivver. 
Now  you  don't  looks  as  much  rascal  as  some  of 
dem  does,  and  as  it  ish  cold  to-day,  I  vill  make 
dish  corntract  mid  you.  You  shall  stay  here  till 
de  cold  goes  away,  and  you  shall  hab  de  pest  I've 
got  for  twenty-five  cents  a  meal,  but  you  shall 
pays  me  de  twenty-five  cents  a  meal  down  in 
advance^  beforehand." 

"  Here  is  a  character,"  I  thought,  "  a  new  type 
to  study,  and  perhaps,  after  all,  being  frozen  up 
in  Pleasant  Run  may  not  be  a  fact  to  regret." 

M}''  landlord's  proposition  was  at  once  accept- 
ed, and  I  offered  to  pay  him  for  three  meals  in 
advance,  to  which  he  replied,  "  Dat  dree  pays 
at  one  time  was  not  in  de  corntract."  "You 
have  forgotten  one  point,"  I  said,  addressing  him 
as  he  led  me  to  the  kitchen,  where  "mine  frau  " 
was  up  to  her  elbows  in  work.  "  And  what  ish 
dat?  "  he  asked,  rather  suspiciously  eying  me. 
"  You  have  not  fixed  a  price  for  my  lodgings." 
"  De  use  of  de  pedclothes  costs  me  netting,  so  I 
never  charges  for  de  lodgings  wen  de  boarder 
WASHES  himself  every  day,"  answered  mine  host. 
Having  settled  this  point,  and  ordered  his  wife, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  77 

in  commanding  terms,  "  to  gib  dish  man  his  break- 
fast/' he  withdrew.  The  woman  treated  me  very 
kindly,  apologizing  for  her  husband's  exacting 
demands  by  assuring  me  that  "  Nobody  knows 
WHO 's  when  nowadays.  Seems  as  if  e very- 
bod}'  had  got  'moralized  by  de  war."  The  coffee 
the  good  lady  made  me,  though  thoroughly 
boiled,  w^as  excellent,  and  I  complimented  her 
upon  it.  "  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  my  coffee  is 
coffee.  De  'Merican  beeble  forgets  de  coffee 
wen  dey  makes  it,  and  puts  all  water.  Oh,  wishy- 
washy  is  'Merican  coffee.  It's  like  peas  and  beans 
ground  up.  De  German  beebles  won't  drink  de 
stuff." 

A  generous  repast  of  sausage,  fresh  pork,  good 
bread,  butter,  and  coffee,  was  placed  before  me, 
when  the  tailor  returned  with  darkened  brow, 
and  rudely  demanded  the  whereabouts  of  my 
boat.  "  I  looks  everywhere,"  he  said,  "  and  don't 
finds  de  poat.  Hab  you  one  poat,  or  hab  you 
not?"  I  carefull}' described  the  exact  location 
of  the  sneak-box  in  the  rear  of  the  tollgate-house, 
when  he  hastily  disappeared.  The  old  lady  and 
I  had  full}"  discussed  the  wishy-washy  coffee 
question,  when  mine  host  returned.  This  time 
he  wore  a  pleasant  countenance,  and  took  me 
into  his  shop,  where  he  introduced  me  to  three 
of  his  apprentices.  At  night  I  was  given  a  bed 
in  an  unfinished  attic,  under  a  shingled  roof, 
which    was    not    even    ceiled,    so    the    constant 


78 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


draughts  of  air  whistling  through  the  interstices 
overhead  and  at  the  sides  of  my  apartment,  kept 
up  a  ventilation  more  perfect  than  was  desirable; 
and  I  should  have  suffered  from  the  cold  had  it 
not  been  for  m}^  German  coverlet,  which  was  a 
feather-bed  about  twenty  inches  in  thickness. 
It,  of  course,  half  smothered  me,  but  there 
seemed  no  choice  between  that  and  freezing  to 
death,  so  I  patiently  accepted  my  fate. 


A  Night  under  a    German    Coverlet. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  79 


CHAPTER    V. 

FROM    CINCINNATI    TO    THE    .MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

CIXCINNATI.  —  MUSIC  AND  PORK  IX  PORKOPOLIS.  — THE  BIG  BOXE 
LICK  OF  FOSSIL  ELEPHAXTS.  —  COLOXEL  CROGHAX'S  VISIT  TO 
THE  LICK.  —  PORTAGE  AROUXD  THE  "  FALLS,"  AT  LOUISVILLE, 
KEXTUCKY.  —  STUCK  IX  THE  MUD.  —  THE  FIRST  STEAMBOAT  OF 
THE  WEST.  —  VICTOR  HUGO  OX  THE  SITUATIOX.  —  A  FREEBOOT- 
ER'S DEX.  —  WHOOPIXG  AXD  SAXD-HILL  CRAXES.  —  THE  SXEAK- 
BOX   ENTERS   THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

THE  next  day  being  Saturda}^,  and  the  mer- 
cury still  standing  at  seven  degrees  above 
zero,  I  walked  to  Covington,  and  crossed  the 
suspension-bridge  to  Cincinnati.  It  was  the  sea- 
son of  the  year  when  the  vast  pork-packing  estab- 
lishments were  in  full  blast,  and  the  amount  of 
work  done  spoke  well  for  w^estern  enterprise. 

Pork-raising  and  pork-packing  is  one  of  the 
great  industries  of  the  Ohio  valle}-,  and  the  Cin- 
cinnati and  Louisville  merchants  have  control  of 
the  largest  portion  of  the  business  growing  out 
of  it. 

When  a  stranger  visits  the  pork-packing  es- 
tablishments of  Cincinnati  he  marvels  at  the 
immensity  and  celerity  of  the  various  manipula- 
tions, which  commence   with   the    killing   of  a 


8o  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

squealing  pig,  and  the  transformation  of  his  "hog- 
ship,  in  a  few  minutes,  into  a  well-cleaned  ani- 
mal, hanging  up  to  cool  in  a  store-room,  from 
which  he  is  taken  a  little  later  and  immediately 
cut  up  and  packed  in  barrels  for  market.  The 
reader  ma}^  have  a  distaste  for  statistics,  but  I  can- 
not impress  upon  him  the  magnitude  of  this  great 
industry  without  giving  a  few  reliable  figures. 

The  number  of  hogs  packed  in  Cincinnati  dur- 
ing the  past  twenty-one  years,  from  1853  to  1S75, 
was  9,242,972.  While  Cincinnati  was  at  work 
on  one  season's  crop  of  pork  of  632,302  pigs,  her 
rival,  Chicago,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan, 
killed  and  packed  in  the  same  time  her  crop  of 
2,501,285  animals. 

The  "  Twenty-ninth  ,  Annual  Report  of  the 
Cincinnati  Price  Current,"  published  while  the 
author  has  been  writing  this  chapter,  shows  what 
our  country  can  do  in  supplying  meat  for  foreign 
as  well  as  home  markets.  The  states  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Michigan, 
Minnesota,  Nebraska,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Ken- 
tucky, and  Tennessee,  contributed  to  the  pack- 
ing establishments  between  November  i,  1877, 
and  March  i,  1878,  during  the  winter  season  of 
six  months,  6,505,446  hogs;  and  during  the 
summer  season,  from  March  i  to  Novem- 
ber I,  2,543,120  animals,  —  making  a  one  year's 
total  of  9,048,566  pigs,  which  averaged  a  net 
weight,    when    dressed,    of    two    hundred    and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  8 1 

twenty-six  pounds.  Thus  the  weight  of  meat 
alone  packed  in  one  year  was  2,044,975,916 
pounds.  Add  to  this  the  crop  of  California, 
Oregon,  and  Canada  of  the  same  year,  and  the 
total  swells  to  12,301,589  hogs,  duly  registered 
as  having  been  killed  by  the  pork-packers,  and 
there  still  remain  uncounted  all  the  pigs  killed 
in  thirt3'-eight  states  by  farmers  for  their  own 
and  neighbors'  consumption. 

This  annual  crop  of  pork  a  jocund  professor 
once  described  as  "  a  prodigious  mass  of 
heavy  carburetted  hydrogen  gas  and  scrofula;" 
but  the  chemists  of  our  day  would  more  properly 
stigmatize  it  as  avast  quantity  of  Luzic,  Myristic, 
Palmitic,  Margaric,  and  Stearic  acids  in  com'bi- 
nation  with  glycerine  and  fibre. 

A  w^estern  savant,  having  investigated  the  par- 
asites existing  in  hogs,  affirms  that  in  western 
pork,  eight  animals  out  of  every  one  hundred  are 
affected  by  that  muscle-boring  pest  so  danger- 
ous to  those  who  have  eaten  the  infected  meat, 
and  so  well  known  to  all  students  as  the  Trichina 
spiralis.  The  distinguished  writer  Letheby 
says  of  this  parasite:  "As  found  in  the  human 
subject  (after  death)  it  is  usually  in  the  encyst- 
ed state,  when  it  has  passed  beyond  its  dan- 
gerous condition,  and  has  become  harmless. 
In  most  cases,  when  thus  discovered,  there  is  no 
record  of  its  action,  and  therefore  it  was  once 
thought  to  be  an  innocent  visitor;  but  we  now 


82  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

know  that  while  it  was  free,  (that  is,  before  nature 
had  barricaded  it  up  in' the  little  cyst,)  its  pres- 
ence was  the  cause  of  frightful  disorders,  killinir 
about  lifty  per  centum  of  its  victims  in  terrible 
agony.  The  young  worms  having  hatched  in 
the  body  of  man,  migrate  to  the  numerous 
muscles,  causing  the  most  excruciating  pain,  so 
that  the  patient,  fearing  to  move  his  inflamed 
muscles,  would  lie  motionless  upon  his  back,  and 
if  he  did  not  die  in  this  state  of  the  disorder, 
nature  came  to  the  rescue  and  imprisoned  the 
creature  by  surrounding  it  with  a  fibrous  cyst, 
where  it  lives  for  years,  being  ready  at  any  mo- 
ment to  acquire  activity  when  it  is  swallowed 
and  released  from  its  cell." 

Another  parasite  found  in  the  muscles  of  the 
pig  is  known  as  the  Cysticercus  cellulosus,  and 
the  animals  afflicted  by  it  are  said  to  have  the 
measles.  This  larva  of  the  tapeworm  exists  in 
the  pig  in  little  sacs  not  larger  than  a  pin's  head, 
and  can  be  seen  by  the  naked  eye.  The  strong 
brine  of  the  packer  does  not  kill  them,  and  I  have 
known  them  to  be  taken  alive  from  a  boiled  ham. 
The  great  heat  of  hying  alone  renders  them  harm- 
less. When  partially-cooked,  measly  pork  is  eaten 
by  man,  the  gastric  juice  of  the  stomach  dissolves 
the  membranous  sac  which  contains  the  living 
larva,  and  the  animal  soon  passes  into  the  intes- 
tines, where,  clinging  by  its  hooks,  it  holds  on 
with    wonderful    tenacity,   rapidly    sending    out 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  83 

joint    after    joint,    until    the    perfect    tapeworm 
sometimes   attains   a  length   of  thirt}^   feet. 

Let  us  hope,  for  the  credit  of  humanity,  that 
these  facts  are  not  generally  known,  for  man  has 
ills  enouijh  without  incurring-  the  risks  of  such  a 
diet.  If  pork  must  form  a  staple,  let  the  genea- 
logical tree  of  his  pigship  be  carefully  sought 
after,  and  let  the  would-be  consumer  ask  the 
question  considered  so  important  in  a  certain 
river-bounded  cit}'  of  Pennsylvania,  "  Who  was 
his  grandfather?" 

In  the  year  1800  Cincinnati  was  a  little  pioneer 
settlement  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men,  wo- 
men, and  children.  Her  census  of  1880  will  not 
fall  far  short  of  a  quarter  of  a  million.  She  con- 
tributes more  than  her  share  to  feed  the  world, 
and  is,  strange  to  sa}',  as  celebrated  for  the  terp- 
sichorean  art  as  for  her  pork.  Even  Boston  must 
yield  her  the  palm  as  a  musical  centre,  and  give 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  once  rough  western  city 
the  credit  due  them  for  their  versatilit}'  of  talent, 
and  the  ease  with  which  they  render  Beethoven, 
or  "  take  a  turn  in  pork,"  as  occasion  may  de- 
mand, man}'  of  the  music-loving  citizens  being 
engaged  at  times  in  a  commercial  way  with  this 
staple. 

Having  obtained  at  a  bookstore  a  copy  of 
Lloyd's  Map  of  the  Mississippi  River,  I  returned 
to  the  tailor's,  where  I  was  greeted  in  the  most 
kindly    manner,   and    informed    that    the    young 


84  FOUR    MONTHS    IN   A    SNEAK-BOX. 

lady  of  the  house,  the  only  daughter  of  my  host, 
had  voluntarily  left  home  to  visit  some  city  rela- 
tions, that  I  might  occupy  her  comfortably  fur- 
nished room,  with  the  open  fireplace,  v^hich  w^as 
nov/  filled  with  blazing  wood,  and  sending  forth 
a  genial  glow  into  the  heavily-curtained  apart- 
ment. When  I  protested  against  this  promotion 
in  the  social  scale,  and  refused  to  deprive  the 
young  lad}'  of  her  room,  I  was  informed  that 
she  knew  "  who  was  who,"  and  had  insisted 
upon  leaving  her  room  that  a  gentleman  might 
be*  properly  entertained  in  it.  From  this  time 
my  now  agreeable  host  stoutly  refused  to  accept 
payment  in  advance  for  my  daily  rations,  while, 
with  his  family  and  apprentices,  he  took  up  his 
quarters  each  evening  in  my  new  room,  relating 
his  experiences  during  the  war,  and  giving  me 
many  original  ideas. 

It  grew  warmer,  but  the  ice  of  the  creek  in 
which  my  boat  lay  did  not  melt.  The  water  was, 
however,  falling,  and  it  became  necessary  to  cut 
out  the  sneak-box,  and  slide  her  over  the  ice  into 
the  unfrozen  Ohio.  My  host  had  become  alarmed, 
and  kept  an  anxious  eye  upon  the  boat.  "  De 
peoples  knows  de  poat  is  here,  and  some  of  dem 
hab  told  others  about  it.  If  you  don't  hide  her 
down  de  rivver  to-night,  she  will  be  stolen  by  de 
rivver  thieves."  I  was  thus  forced  to  leave  these 
kind  people,  who  about  noon  escorted  me  to  the 
duck-boat,    and    showered    upon  me    their  best 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  85 

wishes  for  a  prosperous  voyage.  It  was  a  glori- 
ous afternoon,  and  the  sun  poured  all  his  wealth 
of  lio-ht  and  cheerfulness  upon  the  valley. 

Late  in  the  day  I  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Miami   River.     Indiana  was  on  the  right,  while 
Kentucky  still  skirted  the  left  bank  of  the  river. 
The  state  of  Ohio  had  furnished  the  Ohio  River 
with  a  maroin  for  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
miles.     The   Little  Miami   River  joins  the  Ohio 
six  miles  above  Cincinnati;   the  Big  Miami  en- 
ters   it    twenty    miles    below    the    city.       These 
streams  flow  through  rich   farming  regions,  but 
they  are  not  navigable.     After  passing  the  town 
of  Aurora,   which   is  six    miles    below   the   Big 
Miami,  I  caught  sight  of  the   mouth  of  a  creek, 
whose  thickets  of  trees,  in  the  gloom  of  the  fast 
approaching  night,  almost  hid  from  view  the  out- 
lines of  a  forlorn-looking  shanty-boat.      Clouds 
of  smoke,  with  the  bright  glare  of  the  fire,  shot 
out  of  the  rusty  stove-pipe  in  the  roof,  but  I  soon 
discovered  that  it  was  the  abode  of  one  who  at- 
tended strictly  to  his  own  business,  and  expected 
the  same  behavior  from  his  neighbors.     So,  say- 
ing good  evening  to  this  man  of  solitary  habits, 
I  quickly  rowed  past  his  floating  hermitage  into 
the  darkness  of  the  neighboring  swamp.     I  soon 
put  my  own  home  in  order,  ate  my  supper,  and 
retired,  feeling  happy  in  the  thought  that  I  should 
before  long  reach  a  climate  where  my  out-door 
life  would  not  be  attended  with  so  many  incon- 
veniences. 


86  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

The  next  day  a  milder  but  damper  atmosphere 
greeted  me.  By  noon  I  had  rowed  twenty-two 
miles,  and  was  off  the  mouth  of  Big  Bone  Lick 
Creek,  in  Kentucky.  Two  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  this  creek  are  some  springs,  the  waters  of 
which  are  charged  with  sulphur  and  salt.  The 
most  interesting  feature  of  this  locality  was  the 
fact  that  here  were  buried  in  one  vast  bed  the 
fossil  bones  of  "  The  Mastodon  and  the  Arctic 
Elephant."  Formerly  these  prehistoric  relics  of 
a  departed  fauna  were  scattered  over  the  surfoce 
of  the  earth.  The  first  mention  of  this  locality 
was  made,  I  think,  by  a  French  explorer  in  1649. 
It  is  again  referred  to  by  a  British  subject  in  1765. 
A  rare  copy  of  a  private  journal  kept  by  this  earl}- 
explorer  of  the  Ohio,  Colonel  George  Croghan, 
was  published  in  G.  W.  Featherstonhaugh's 
"American  Journal  of  Geology,"  of  December, 
1831.  This  monthly  publication  ended  with  its 
first  year's  existence.  Only  five  copies  of  this 
number  were  known  to  be  in  print  three  years 
since,  when  Professor  Thomas,  of  Mount  Holly, 
New  Jersey,  encouraged  the  issue  of  a  reprint 
of  one  hundred  copies,  from  which  some  of  our 
public  libraries  have  been  supplied. 

This  Colonel  George  Croghan,  in  company 
with  deputies  from  the  Seneca,  Shawnesse,  and 
Delaware  nations,  left  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh),  in 
two  bateaux,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1765,  bound  on 
a  mission  to  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Ohio  valley. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  87 

On  the  29th  of  the  month  the  expedition  reached 
the  Little  Miami  River.  Colonel  Croghan  there 
commences  his  account  of  the  Big  Bone  Lick 
region.  He  sa3's:  "May  30th  we  passed  the 
Great  Miami  River,  about  thirty  miles  from  the 
little  river  of  that  name,  and  in  the  evening 
arrived  at  the  -place  where  the  Elephants' 
bones  are  found,  when  we  encamped,  intend- 
ing to  take  a  view  of  the  place  next  morning. 
This  day  we  came  about  seventy  miles.  The 
countr}^  on  both  sides  level,  and  rich  bottoms, 
well  watered.  May  31st.  Early  in  the  inorning 
we  went  to  the  great  Lick,  where  those  bones 
are  only  found,  about  four  miles  from  the  river, 
on  the  south-east  side.  In  our  way  we  passed 
through  a  line-timbered,  clear  wood:  we  passed 
into  a  large  road,  which  the  buffaloes  have 
beaten,  spacious  enough  for  two  wagons  to  go 
abreast,  and  leading  straight  into  the  Lick.  It 
appears  that  there  are  vast  quantities  of  these 
bones  lying  five  or  six  feet  under  ground,  which 
w^e  discovered  in  the  bank  at  the  edge  of  the 
Lick.  We  found  here  two  tusks  above  six  feet 
long;  we  carried  one,  with  some  other  bones,  to 
our  boat,  and  set  off." 

In  relation  to  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the 
country  of  the  Ohio  valley,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  "  Six  Nations  "  held  six  of  the  gates 
to  New  York,  and  were  strong  because  they  were 
united,    for   Colonel   Croghan's    enumeration   of 


88  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

them  shows  that  they  had  only  two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  twent}^  fighting-men,  and  were 
never  supported  by  more  than  about  two  thou- 
sand warriors  fi-om  tributary  tribes,  when  at  war 
with  the  whites. 

That  the  Iroquois,  with  their  adopted  children, 
have  not  lost  in  numbers  up  to  the  present  dav, 
is  a  curious  fact.  About  six  thousand  of  the 
descendants  of  the  ^'  Six  Nations "  are  at  For- 
estville,  Wisconsin,  on  government  reservations; 
and  the  official  agent  reports  that  nearly  two 
thousand  of  them  can  read  and  write;  that  they 
have  twenty-nine  day  schools,  and  two  manual- 
labor  schools;  that  they  cultivate  their  lands  so 
diligently  that  they  pay  all  the  expenses  of  their 
living.  They  are  reported  as  advancing  in 
church  discipline,  growing  in  temperance;  and 
are  making  rapid  progress  towards  a  coinplete 
civilization. 

These  six  thousand,  with  other  descendants 
of  the  Iroquois  in  Canada,  will  no  doubt  make 
up  a  total  equal  in  number  to  the  members  of 
the  old  "  Indian  Confederacy,"  so  graphically 
pictured  in  the  glowing  pages  of  Mr.  Francis 
Parkman,  the  reliable  historian,  who  has  given 
us  such  vivid  descriptions  of  the  French  rule  in 
America  as  have  called  forth  the  unqualified 
praise  of  students  of  American  history  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

Having    rowed    forty-three    miles    in    twelve 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  89 

hours,  I  reached  the  town  of  Vevay,  Indiana, 
which  was  tirst  settled  by  a  Swiss  colony,  to 
whom  Congress  granted  lands  for  the  purpose 
of  encouraging  grape-culture.  Keeping  close 
under  the  banks  of  the  river,  I  entered  a  little 
creek  a  mile  below  the  village,  where  a  night, 
restful  as  usual,  was  passed. 

On  Tuesdav  I  rose  with  the  moon,  thouijh  it 
was  as  late  as  five  o'clock  in  the  morning*  but, 
althoutrh  fertile  farms  were  stretched  alon<r  the 
river's  bank,  and  the  land  gave  every  sign  of 
careful  culture,  it  was  anything  but  an  enjoy- 
able day,  as  the  rain  fell  in  almost  uninter- 
rupted showers  from  eight  o'clock  a.  m.  until 
dusk,  when  I  was  o-lad  to  find  an  invitine^  creek 
on  the  Kentucky  shore,  about  one  mile  below 
Bethlehem,  and  had  the  great  satisfaction  of 
logging  thirty-eight  miles  as  the  day's  run. 

It  was  necessary  to  make  an  early  start  the 
next  day,  as  I  must  run  the  falls  of  the  Ohio 
at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  or  make  a  portage 
round  them.  The  river  was  enveloped  in  fog; 
but  I  followed  the  shore  closely,  hour  after  hour, 
until  the  sun  dispelled  the  mists,  and  my  little 
duck-boat  ran  in  among  the  barges  at  the  great 
Kentucky  city.  Here,  at  Louisville,  is  the  only 
barrier  to  safe  navioation  on  the  Ohio  River. 
These  so-called  Flails  of  the  Ohio  are  in  fact 
rapids  which  almost  disappear  when  the  river 
is    at    its    full    height.      At    such   times,   steam- 


go  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

boats,  with  skilful  pilots  aboard,  safely  follow 
the  channel,  which  avoids  the  rocks  of  the  river. 
During  the  low  stage  of  the  water,  navigation  is 
entirely  suspended.  The  fall  of  the  current  is 
twenty-three  feet  in  two  miles.  To  avoid  this 
descent,  in  low  water,  and  to  allow  vessels  to 
ascend  the  river  at  all  times,  a  canal  was  exca- 
vated along  the  left  shore  of  the  rapids  from 
Louisville  to  Shippingsport,  a  distance  ot  two 
miles  and  a  half  It  was  a  stupendous  enter- 
prise, as  the  passage  was  cut  almost  the  entire 
distance  through  the  solid  rock,  and  in  some 
places  to  the  great  depth  of  forty  feet. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  18 16,  when  Louis- 
ville had  a  population  of  three  thousand  inhab- 
itants, her  first  steamboat,  the  Washingtoii,  left 
the  3'Oung  city  for  New  Orleans.  A  second  trip 
was  commenced  by  the  Washington  on  March  3, 
181 7.  The  whole  time  consumed  by  the  voyage 
from  Louisville  to  New  Orleans,  including  the 
return  trip,  was  forty-one  days.  The  now  confi- 
dent Captain  Shreve,  of  the  Washington,  pre- 
dicted that  steamboats  would  be  built  which 
could  make  the  passage  to  New  Orleans  in  ten 
days.  I  have  been  a  passenger  on  a  steamboat 
which  ascended  the  stronir  currents  of  the  river 
from  New  Orleans  to  Louisville  m  Jive  days; 
while  the  once  pioneer  hamlet  now  boasts  a 
population  exceeding  one  hundred  thousand 
souls. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  9 1 

As  the  bow  of  my  little  craft  grounded  upon 
the  cit}'  levee,  a  crowd  of  good-natured  men 
gathered  round  to  examine  her.  From  them  I 
ascertained  that  the  descent  of  the  rapids  could 
not  be  made  without  a  pilot;  and  as  the  limited 
quarters  of  the  sneak-box  would  not  allow  any 
addition  to  her  passenger-list,  a  portage  round 
the  falls  became  a  necessity.  The  canal  was 
not  to  be  thought  of,  as  it  would  have  been  a 
troublesome  matter,  without  special  passes  from 
some  official,  to  have  obtained  the  privilege  of 
passing  through  with  so  small  a  boat.  The 
crowd  cheerfully  lifted  the  sneak-box  into  an 
express-wagon,  and  tifteen  minutes  after  reach- 
ing Louisville  I  was  en  route  for  Portland,  mail- 
ing letters  as  I  passed  through  the  city.  The 
portage  was  made  in  about  an  hour.  At  sun- 
set the  little  boat  was  launched  in  the  Ohio, 
and  I  felt  that  I  had  returned  to  an  old  friend. 
The  expressman  entered  with  entire  sympathy 
into  the  voyage,  and  could  not  be  prevailed 
upon  to  accept  more  than  a  dollar  and  a  half 
for  transporting  the  boat  and  her  captain  four 
miles. 

When  night  came  on,  and  no  friendly  creek 
offered  me  shelter,  I  pushed  the  boat  into  a 
soft,  muddy  flat  of  willows,  which  fringed  a  por- 
tion of  the  Kentucky  shore,  where  there  was  just 
enough  water  to  float  the  sneak-box.  The  pass- 
ing   steamers     during    the    night    sent    swashy 


92  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

waves  into  my  lair,  which  kept  me  in  constant 
fear  of  a  ducking,  and  gave  me  an3-thing  but 
a  peaceful  night.  This  was,  however,  all  for- 
gotten the  next  morning,  when  the  startling 
discovery  was  made  that  the  river  had  fallen 
during  the  night  and  left  me  in  a  quagmire, 
from  which  it  seemed  at  first  impossible  to 
extricate  myself. 

The  boat  was  imbedded  in  the  mud,  which 
was  so  soft  and  slimy  that  it  would  not  sup- 
port my  weight  when  I  attempted  to  step  upon 
it  for  the  purpose  of  pushing  my  little  craft 
into  the  water,  which  had  receded  only  a  few 
feet  from  my  camp.  I  tried  pushing  with  my 
oak  oar;  but  it  sunk  into  the  mire  almost  out 
of  sight.  Then  a  small  watch-tackle  was  rigged, 
one  block  fastened  to  the  boat,  the  other  to  the 
limb  of  a  wnllow  which  projected  over  the  water. 
The  result  of  this  was  a  successful  downward 
movement  of  the  willow,  but  the  boat  remained 
in  statu  quo,  the  soft  mud  holding  it  as  though 
it  possessed  the  sucking  powers  of  a  cuttle- 
fish. 

I  could  not  reach  the  firm  shore,  for  the  wil- 
low brush  would  not  support  m}^  weight.  There 
was  no  assistance  to  be  looked  for  from  fellow- 
voyagers,  as  the  ri\er-craft  seemed  to  follow  the 
channel  of  the  opposite  shore;  and  my  camp 
could  not  be  seen  from  the  river,  as  I  had  taken 
pains    to    hide   myself  in  the  thicket   of  young 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  93 

willows  from  all  curious  eyes.  There  was  no 
hope  that  my  voice  would  penetrate  to  the  other 
side  of  the  stream,  neither  could  I  reach  the 
water  beyond  the  soft  ooze.  Being  well  pro- 
visioned, however,  it  would  be  an  easy  matter 
to  await  the  rise  of  the  river;  and  if  no  friend- 
ly freshet  sent  me  the  required  assistance,  the 
winds  would  harden  the  ooze  in  a  few  da3's  so 
that  it  would  bear  my  weiirht,  and  enable  me  to 
escape  from  ni}'  bonds  of  mud. 

While  partaking  of  a  light  breakfast,  an  Idea 
suddenly  presented  itself  to  ni}'  mind.  I  had  fre- 
quently built  crossways  over  treacherous  swamps. 
Why  not  mattress  the  muddy  flat?  Standing  upon 
the  deck  of  m}'  boat,  I  grasped  ever}-  twig  and 
bough  of  willow  I  could  reach,  and  makinof  a 
mattress  of  them,  about  two  feet  square  and  a 
few  inches  thick,  on  the  surface  of  the  mud  at 
the  stern  of  my  craft,  I  placed  upon  it  the  hatch- 
cover  of  my  boat.  Standing  upon  this,  the  sneak- 
box  was  relieved  of  my  weight,  and  b}'  dint  of 
persevering  eflbrt  the  after  part  was  successfully 
lifted,  and  the  heavy  burden  slowly  worked  out 
of  its  tenacious  bed,  and  moved  two  or  three 
feet  nearer  the  water.  By  shifting  the  Avillow 
mattress  nearer  the  boat,  which  was  now  ox  the 
surface  of  the  mud,  and  not  in  it,  my  floating 
home  was  soon  again  upon  the  current,  and  its 
captain  had  a  new^  experience,  w^hich,  though 
dearly   bought,   would    teach    him    to    avoid    in 


94  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

future  a  camp  on  a  soft  flat  when  a  river  was 
falling. 

A  foggy  day  followed  my  departure  from  the 
unfortunate  camp  of  willows;  but  through  the 
mist  I  caught  glimpses  of  the  fine  lands  of  the 
Kentucky  farmers,  with  the  grand  old  trees 
shading  their  comfortable  homes.  In  the  driz- 
zle I  had  passed  French's  Creek,  and  after  dark 
ran  upon  a  stony  beach,  where,  high  and  dry 
upon  the  bank,  was  a  shanty-boat,  which  had 
been  converted  into  a  landing-house,  and  was 
occupied  by  two  men  who  received  the  freight 
left  there  by  passing  steamers.  The-  locality 
was  six  miles  below  Brandenburg,  Kentucky, 
and  w^as  known  as  "  Richardson's  Landing." 
Having  rowed  forty  miles  since  morning,  I 
"turned  in"  soon  after  drawing  my  boat  upon 
the  shelving  strand,  anticipating  a  quiet  night. 

At  midnight  a  loud  noise,  accompanied  with 
bright  flashes  of  light,  warned  me  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  steamboat.  She  soon  after  ran  her 
bow  hard  on  to  the  beach,  within  a  few  feet  of 
my  boat.  Though  the  rain  was  falling  in  tor- 
rents, the  passengers  crowded  upon  the  upper 
deck  to  examine  the  snow-white,  peculiarly 
shaped  craft,  or  "skiff"  as  they  called  it,  which 
lay  upon  the  bank,  little  suspecting  that  her 
owner  was  snugly  stowed  beneath  her  deck. 
I  suddenly  threw  up  the  hatch  and  sat  upright, 
while  the  strong  glare  of  light  from  the  steam- 


FOUR   MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  95 

er's  furnaces  brought  out  every  detail  of  the 
boat's  interior. 

This  sudden  apparition  struck  the  crowd  with 
surprise,  and,  as  is  usual  upon  such  an  occasion 
in  western  America,  the  whole  company  show- 
ered a  lire  of  raillery  and  "chaff"  upon  me,  to 
which,  on  account  of  the  heavy  rain,  I  could 
not  reply,  but,  dropping  backward  into  my  bed, 
drew  the  hatch  into  its  place.  The  good-natured 
crowd  would  not  permit  me  to  escape  so  easil}^ 
Calling  the  entire  ship's  company  from  the  state- 
rooms and  cabins  to  join  them,  they  used  every 
artifice  in  their  power  to  induce  me  to  show 
my  head  above  the  deck  of  my  boat.  One 
shouted,  "  Here,  3'ou  deck-hand,  don't  cut  that 
man's  rope;  it's  mean  to  steal  a  fellow's  painter!" 
Another  cried,  "  Don't  put  that  heavy  plank 
against  that  little  skitf!"  Suspecting  their  game, 
however,  I  kept  under  cover  during  the  fifteen 
minutes'  stay  of  the  boat,  when,  moving  off, 
they  all  shouted  a  jolly  farewell,  which  mingled 
in  the  darkness  with  the  hoarse  whistle  of  the 
steamer,  wiiile  the  night  air  echoed  with  cries 
of,  "Snug  as  a  bug  in  a  rug;"  "I  never  seed 
the  like  afore;"  "He'll  git  used  to  livin'  in  a 
coffin  afore  he  needs  one,''  &c. 

The  reader  who  may  have  looked  heretofore 
upon  swamps  and  gloomy  creeks  as  too  lonely 
for  camping-grounds,  may  now  appreciate  the 
necessity  for  selecting  such  places,  and  under- 


96  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

stand  why  a  voyager  prefers  the  security  of  the 
wilderness  to  the  annoying  curiosity  of  his  fel- 
low-man. 

The  rains  of  the  past  two  days  had  swollen 
the  Kentucky  River,  which  enters  the  Ohio 
above  Louisville,  as  well  as  the  Salt  River, 
which  I  had  passed  twenty  miles  below  that 
city,  besides  many  other  branches,  so  that  the 
main  stream  was  now  rapidly  rising.  After 
leaving  Richardson's  Landing,  the  rain  contin- 
ued to  fall,  and  as  each  tributary,  aftected  by 
the  freshet,  poured  logs,  fallen  trees,  fence-rails, 
stumps  from  clearings,  and  even  occasionally  a 
small  frame  shanty,  into  the  Ohio,  there  was  a 
floatins:  raft  of  these  materials  miles  in  leno'th. 
Sometimes  an  unlucky  shanty-boat  was  caught 
in  an  eddy  b}'  the  mass  of  floating  timber,  and 
at  once  becoming  an  integral  portion  of  the 
whole,  would  float  with  the  great  raft  for  two 
or  three  days.  The  owners,  being  in  the  mean 
time  unable  to  free  themselves  from  their  prison- 
like surroundings,  made  the  best  of  the  block- 
ade, and  their  flres  burned  all  the  brighter, 
while  the  enlivening  music  of  the  fiddle,  and 
the  hilarity  induced  b}^  frequent  potions  of  corn 
whiskc}^,  with  the  inevitable  games  of  cards, 
made  all  """^  merry  as  a  marriage  bell,"  as  they 
floated  down  the   river. 

In  the  evening,  a  little  creek  below  Alton 
was   reached,   which    sheltered    me    during   the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  97 

night.  Soon  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  stars  shone 
kind!}'  upon  my  lonely  camp.  I  left  the  creek 
at  half-past  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
water  had  risen  two  feet  and  a  half  in  ten  hours, 
and  the  broad  river  was  in  places  covered  from 
shore  to  shore  with  drift  stutf,  which  made  my 
course  a  devious  one,  and  the  little  duck-boat 
had  man}^  a  narrow  escape  in  my  attempts  to 
avoid  the  floatino;  mass.  The  boomino^  of  ijuns 
along  the  shore  reminded  me  that  it  was  Christ- 
mas, and,  in  imagination,  I  pictured  to  myself  the 
many  happy  families  in  the  valley  enjoying  their 
Christmas  cheer.  The  contrast  between  their 
condition  and  mine  was  great,  for  I  could  not 
even  find  enough  dry  wood  to  cook  my  simple 
camp-fare. 

An  hour  before  sunset,  while  skirting  the  In- 
diana shore,  I  passed  a  little  village  called  Bates- 
ville,  and  soon  after  came  to  the  mouth  of  a 
crooked  creek,  out  of  which,  borne  on  the  flood 
of  a  freshet,  came  a  long,  narrow  line  of  drift 
stufl:'.  Just  within  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  in 
a  deep  indenture  of  the  high  bank,  a  shanty- 
boat  was  snugly  lashed  to  the  trees.  A  yoimg 
man  stood  in  the  open  doorway  of  the  cabin, 
washing  dishes,  and  as  I  passed  he  kindly  wished 
me  a  "  ^Nlerry  Christmas,"  inviting  me  on  board. 
He  eagerly  inspected  the  sneak-box,  and  pro- 
nounced it  one  of  the  prettiest  ^'tricks"  afloat. 
"  How  my  father  and  brother  would  like  to  see 

7 


98  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

you  and  your  boat  !  "  exclaimed  he.  "  Can't 
you  tie  up  here,  just  under  yonder  p'int  on  the 
bank?  There's  an  eddy  there,  and  the  drift 
won't  work  in  enough  to  trouble  3'Ou." 

The  invitation  so  kindl}^  given  was  accepted, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  my  new  acquaintance 
my  boat  was  worked  against  the  strong  current 
into  a  curve  of  the  bank,  and  there  securely 
fastened.  I  set  to  work  about  my  house-keep- 
ing cares,  and  had  my  cabin  comfortably  ar- 
ranged for  the  night,  when  I  was  hailed  from  the 
shanty-boat  to  "  come  aboard."  Entering  the 
rough  cabin,  a  surprise  greeted  me,  for  a  table 
stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  covered  with 
a  clean  white  cloth,  and  groaning  under  the 
weight  of  such  a  variety  of  appetizing  dishes  as 
I  had  not  seen  for  many  a  day. 
■  "I  thought,"  said  the  boy,  "that  you  hadn't 
had  much  Christmas  to-day,  being  as  you're 
awa}'  from  your  folks;  and  we  had  a  ro3'al 
dinner,  and  there's  lots  left  fur  you  —  so  help 
yourself"  He  then  explained  that  his  father 
and  brother  had  gone  to  a  shooting-match  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river;  and  when  I  ex- 
pressed my  astonishment  at  the  excellent  fare, 
which,  upon  closer  acquaintance,  proved  to  be 
of  a  dainty  nature  (game  and  delicate  pastry 
making  a  inena  rather  peculiar  for  a  shanty- 
boat),  he  informed  me  that  his  brother  had 
been  first  cook  on  a  big  passenger  steamer,  and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  99 

had  received  good  wages;  but  their  mother 
died,  and  their  father  married  a  second  time, 
and —  Here  the  young  fellow  paused,  evidently 
considering  how  much  of  their  private  life  he 
should  show  to  a  stranger.  "  Well,"  he  con- 
tinued, "our  new  mother  liked  cfties  better  than 
flatboats,  and  father's  a  good  quiet  man,  who 
likes  to  live  in  peace  with  every  one,  so  he  lets 
mother  live  in  Arkansas,  and  he  stays  on  the 
shanty-boat.  We  boys  joined  him,  fur  he 's  a 
good  old  fellow,  and  we  have  all  that's  going. 
We  git  plenty  of  cat-fish,  buffalo-fish,  3'ellow 
perch,  and  bass,  and  sell  them  at  the  little 
towns  along  the  river.  Then  in  summer  we 
hire  a  high  flat  ashore,  —  not  a  flatboat,  —  I 
mean  a  bit  of  land  along  the  river,  and  raise 
a  crop  of  corn,  'taters,  and  cabbage.  We  have 
plenty  of  shooting,  and  don't  git  much  fever 
'n  as^er." 

I  had  rowed  fifty-three  miles  that  day,  and 
did  ample  justice  to  the  Christmas  dinner  on 
the  flatboat.  The  father  and  brother  joined  us 
in  the  evening,  and  gave  me  much  good  advice 
in  regard  to  river  navigation.  The  rain  fell 
heavily  before  midnight,  and  they  insisted  that 
I  should  share  one  of  their  beds  in  the  boat; 
but  as  small  streams  of  water  were  trickling 
through  the  roof  of  the  shanty,  and  my  little 
craft  was  water-tight,  I  declined  the  kindly 
ofter,  and  bade  them  good-night. 


lOO  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

The  next  clay  being  Sunday,  I  again  visited 
my  new  acquaintances  upon  the  shanty-boat, 
and  gathered  from  their  varied  experiences 
much  of  the  river's  lore.  The  rain  contin- 
ued, accompanied  with  lightning  and  thunder, 
during  the  entire  da}',  so  that  Monday's  sun 
was  indeed  welcome;  and  with  kind  farewells 
on  all  sides  I  broke  camp  and  descended  the 
current  with  the  now  almost  continuous  raft  of 
drift-wood.  For  several  hours  a  sewing-machine 
repair-shop  and  a  photographic  gallery  floated 
with  me. 

The  creeks  were  now  so  swollen  from  the 
heavy  rains,  and  so  full  of  drift-wood,  that  my 
usual  retreat  into  some  creek  seemed  cut  off; 
so  I  ran  under  the  sheltered  side  of  "Three 
Mile  Island,"  below  Newburg,  Indiana.  The 
climate  was  daily  improving,  and  I  no  longer 
feared  an  ice  blockade;  but  a  new  difficulty 
arose.  The  heavy  rafts  of  timber  threatened  to 
shut  me  in  my  camp.  At  dusk,  all  might  be 
open  water;  but  at  break  of  day  "a  change  came 
o'er  the  spirit  of  my  dream,"  and  heavy  block- 
ades of  timber  rafts  made  it  no  easy  matter  to 
escape.  There  were  times  when,  shut  in  behind 
these  barriers,  I  looked  out  upon  the  river  with 
envious  eyes  at  the  steamboats  steadily  plod- 
ding up  stream  against  the  current,  keeping  free 
of  the  rafts  by  the  skill  of  their  pilots;  and 
thoughts    of   the    genius    and    perseverance    of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  lOI 

the  inventors    of   these  peculiar    craft    crowded 
my  mind. 

In  these  days  of  successful  application  of  me- 
chanical inventions,  but  few  persons  can  realize 
the  amount  of  distrust  and  opposition  against 
which  a  Watts  or  a  Fulton  had  to  contend 
while  forcing  upon  an  illiberal  and  unappreci- 
ative  public  the  valuable  results  of  their  busy 
brains  and  fertile  genius.  It  is  well  for  us  who 
now  enjoy  these  blessings,  —  the  utilized  ideas  of 
a  lifetime  of  unrequited  labors,  —  to  look  back 
upon  the  epoch  of  history  so  full  of  gloom  for 
the  men  to  whom  we  owe  so  much. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the 
navio-ation  of  the  Ohio  was  limited  to  canoes, 
bateaux,  scows,  rafts,  arks,  and  the  rudest 
models  of  sailing-boats.  The  ever  downward 
course  of  the  strong  current  must  be  stemmed 
in  ascending  the  river.  Against  this  powerful 
resistance  upon  tortuous  streams,  wind,  as  a 
motor,  was  found  to  be  only  partially  success- 
ful, and  for  sure  and  rapid  transit  between 
settlements  along  the  banks  of  great  water- 
ways a  most  discouraging  failure.  Down-river 
journeys  were  easily  made,  but  the  up-river  or 
return  trip  was  a  very  slow  and  unsatisfactory 
affiiir,  excepting  to  those  w^io  travelled  in  light 
canoes. 

The  influx  of  population  to  the  fertile  Ohio 
valley,  and   the  settling  up  of  the  rich  bottoms 


I02  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

of  the  Mississippi,  demanded  a  more  expedi- 
tious system  of  communication.  The  neces- 
sities of  the  people  called  loudly  for  this  im- 
provement, but  at  the  same  time  their  prejudices 
and  ignorance  prevented  them  from  aiding  or 
encouraging  any  such  plans.  The  hour  came  at 
length  for  the  delivery  of  the  people  of  the  great 
West,  and  with  it  the  man.  Fulton,  aided  by 
Watts,  offered  to  solve  the  problem  by  unravel- 
ling rather  than  by  cutting  the  "Gordian  knot." 
It  was  whispered  through  the  "wilderness  that  a 
fire-ship,  called  the  "  Clermont,"  built  by  a  crazy 
speculator  named  Fulton,  had  started  from  New 
York,  and,  steaming  up  the  Hudson,  had  forced 
itself  against  the  current  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  to  Albany,  in  thirty-six  hours.  This  was 
in  September,  1807. 

The  fool  and  the  fool's  fire-ship  became  the 
butt  of  all  sensible  people  in  Europe  as  well  as 
in  America.  Victor  Hugo  remarks  that,  ''In  the 
3'car  1807,  when  the  first  steamboat  of  Fulton, 
commanded  by  Livingston,  furnished  with  one 
of  Watts's  engines  sent  from  England,  and 
manoeuvred,  besides  her  ordinary  crew,  by  two 
Frenchmen  only,  Andre  Michaux  and  another, 
made  her  first  voyage  from  New  York  to  Albany, 
it  happened  that  she  set  sail  on  the  17th  of  Au- 
gust. The  ministers  took  up  this  important  fact, 
and  in  numberless  chapels  preachers  were  heard 
callincr  down  a  malediction  on  the  machine,  and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  lO^ 

declaring  that  this  number  seventeen  was  no 
other  than  the  total  of  the  ten  horns  and  seven 
heads  of  the  beasts  in  the  Apocal^^pse.  In  Amer- 
ica they  invoked  against  the  steamboat  the  beast 
from  the  book  of  Revelation;  in  Europe,  the  rep- 
tile of  the  book  of  Genesis.  The  savans  had 
rejected  steamboats  as  impossible;  the  priests 
had  anathematized  them  as  impious;  science 
had  condemned,  and  religion  consigned  them 
to   perdition." 

^'  In  the  archipelago  of  the  British  Channel  is- 
lands,'' this  learned  author  goes  on  to  say,  ""  the 
first  steamboat  which  made  its  appearance  re- 
ceived the  name  of  the  ^  Devil  Boat.'  In  the  eyes 
of  these  worthy  fishermen,  once  Catholics,  now 
Calvinists,  but  always  bigots,  it  seemed  to  be  a 
portion  of  the  infernal  regions  which  had  been 
somehow  set  afloat.  A  local  preacher  selected 
for  his  discourse  the  question  of,  *"  Whether  man 
has  the  rio-ht  to  make  fire  and  water  work  too-ether 
when  God  had  divided  them.'  (Gen.  ch.  i.  v.  4.) 
No;  this  beast  composed  of  iron  and  tire  did  not 
resemble  leviathan !  Was  it  not  an  attempt  to 
bring  chaos  again  into  the  universe?  " 

So  much  for  3'oung  America,  and  so  much  for 
old  mother  England !  Now  listen,  men  and  women 
of  to-day,  to  the  wisdom  of  France  —  scientific 
France.  "  A  mad  notion,  a  gross  delusion,  an 
absurdity!  "  Such  was  the  verdict  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences   when  consulted  by  Napoleon 


I04  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

on  the  subject  of  steamboats  early  in  the  present 
century. 

It  seems  scarcely  credible  now  that  all  this 
transpired  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  not  so  very 
loner  aoo.  Time  is  a  orreat  leveller.  Education 
of  the  head  as  well  as  of  the  heart  has  liberalized 
the  pulpit,  and  the  man  of  theoretical  science  to- 
day would  not  dare  to  stake  his  reputation  by 
denying  any  apparently  well-established  theory, 
w^hile  the  inventors  of  telephones,  perpetual- 
motion  motors,  &c.,  are  gladly  hailed  as  leaders 
in  the  march  of  progress  so  dear  to  every  Amer- 
ican heart.  The  pulpit  is  now  on  the  side  of 
honest  science,  and  the  savant  teaches  great 
truths,  while  the  public  mind  is  being  educated 
to  receive  and  utilize  the  heretofore  concealed 
or  undeveloped  mysteries  of  a  wise  and  generous 
Creator,  who  has  taught  his  children  that  they 
must  labor  in  order  to  possess. 

The  Clermont  was  the  pioneer  steamer  of  the 
Hudson  River,  and  its  trial  trip  was  made  in 
1807.  The  first  steamboat  which  descended  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  was  christened  the 
'*  New  Orleans."  It  was  designed  and  built  by 
Mr.  N.  J.  Roosevelt,  and  commenced  its  voyage 
from  Pittsburgh  in  September,  181 1.  The  bold 
proprietor  of  this  enterprise,  with  his  wife,  jNIrs. 
Lydia  M.  Roosevelt,  accompanied  the  captain, 
engineer,  pilot,  six  hands,  two  female  servants,  a 
man  waiter,  a  cook,  and  a  large  Newfoundland 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I05 

dog,  to  the  end  of  the  vo3'age.  The  friends  of 
this  lady  —  the  first  woman  who  descended  the 
^reat  rivers  of  the  West  in  a  steamboat  —  used 
every  argument  they  could  offer  to  dissuade  her 
from  undertaking  what  was  considered  a  danger- 
ous experiment,  an  absolute  folly.  The  good 
wife,  however,  clung  to  her  husband,  and  ac- 
cepted the  risks,  preferring  to  be  drowned  or 
blown  up,  as  her  friends  predicted,  rather  than 
to  desert  her  better-half  in  his  hour  of  trial.  A 
few  weeks  would  decide  his  success  or  failure, 
and  she  w^ould  be  at  his  side  to  condole  or  rejoice 
with  him,  as  the  case  might  be. 

The  citizens  of  Pittsburgh  gathered  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Monongahela  to  witness  the  incep- 
tion of  the  enterprise  which  was  to  change  the 
whole  destiny  of  the  West.  One  can  imagine 
the  criticisms  flung  at  the  departing  steamer  as 
she  left  her  moorings  and  boldly  faced  her  fate. 
As  the  curious  craft  was  borne  alonir  the  current 
of  the  river,  the  Indians  attempted  to  approach 
her,  bent  upon  hostile  attempts,  and  once  a  party 
of  them  pursued  the  boat  in  hot  chase,  but  their 
endurance  was  not  equal  to  that  of  steam.  These 
children  of  the  forest  gazed  upon  the  snorting, 
fire-breathing  monster  with  undisguised  awe,  and 
called  it  ^'Penelore^'' — the  fire-canoe.  They 
imagined  it  to  have  close  relationship  with  the 
comet  that  they  believed  had  produced  the  earth- 
quakes of  that  year.     The  voyage  of  the  "  New 


Io6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Orleans  "  was  a  romantic  reality  in  two  ways. 
The  wonderful  experiment  was  proved  a  success, 
and  its  originator  won  his  laurel  wreath;  while 
the  bold  captain  of  the  fire-ship,  falling  in  love 
with  one  of  the  chambermaids,  won  a  wife. 

The  river's  travel  now  became  somewhat  mo- 
notonous. I  had  reached  a  low  country,  heavily 
wooded  in  places,  and  was  entering  the  great 
prairie  region  of  Illinois.  Having  left  my  island 
camp  by  starlight  on  Tuesday  morning,  and  hav- 
ing rowed  steadily  all  day  until  dusk,  I  passed  the 
Avild-looking  mouth  of  the  Wabash  River,  and 
w^ent  into  camp  behind  an  island,  logging  with 
pleasure  my  day's  run  at  sixty-seven  miles.  I 
was  now  only  one  hundred  and  forty-two  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and  with  the  rising 
and  rapidly  increasing  current  there  were  only 
a  few  hours'  travel  between  me  and  the  Missis- 
sippi. 

Wednesday  morning,  December  29th,  I  dis- 
covered that  the  river  had  risen  two  feet  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  the  stump  of  the  tree  to 
which  I  had  moored  my  boat  was  submerged. 
The  river  was  wide  and  the  banks  covered  with 
heavy  forests,  with  clearings  here  and  there, 
which  afforded  attractive  vistas  of  prairies  in  the 
background.  I  passed  a  bold,  stratified  crag, 
covered  with  a  little  growth  of  cedars.  These 
adventurous  trees,  orrowinsj:  out  of  the  crevices  of 
the  rock,  formed  a  picturesque  covering  for  its 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I07 

rough  surface.  A  cavern,  about  thirty  feet  in 
width,  penetrated  a  short  distance  into  the  rock. 
This  natural  curiosity  bore  the  name  of  "  Cave- 
in-Rock,"  and  was,  in  iSoi,  the  rendezvous  of  a 
band  of  outlaws,  who  lived  by  plundering  the 
boats  going  up  and  down  the  river,  oftentimes 
addins:  the  crime  of  murder  to  their  other  mis- 
deeds.  Just  below  the  cliff  nestled  a  little  village 
also  called  "  Cave-in-Rock.'' 

Wild  birds  flew  about  me  on  all  sides,  and  had 
I  cared  to  Iino:er  I  mi^ht  have  had  a  o^ood  bas^  of 
game.  This  w^as  not,  however,  a  gunning  cruise, 
and  the  temptation  was  set  aside  as  inconsistent 
with  the  systematic  pulling  which  alone  would 
take  me  to  my  goal.  The  birds  were  left  for  my 
quondam  friends  of  the  shanty-boat,  they  being 
the  happy  possessors  of  more  time  than  they 
could  well  handle,  and  the  killing  of  it  the  aim 
of  their  existence. 

The  soft  shores  of  alluvium  were  constantly 
cavins:  and  fallins^  into  the  river,  brinfjinof  down 
tons  of  earth  and  tall  forest-trees.  The  latter, 
after  freeing  their  roots  of  the  soil,  would  be 
swept  out  into  the  stream  as  contributions  to  the 
great  floating  raft  of  drift-wood,  a  large  portion 
of  which  was  destined  to  a  long  voyage,  for 
much  of  this  floating  forest  is  carried  into  the 
Gulf  of  jNIexico,  and  travels  over  many  hundreds 
of  miles  of  salt  water,  until  it  is  washed  up  on  to 
the  strands  of  the  isles  of  the  sea  or  the  beaches 
of  the  continent. 


Io8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Having  tied  up  for  the  night  to  a  low  bank, 
with  no  thought  of  danger,  it  was  startling,  to 
say  the  least,  to  have  an  avalanche  of  earth  from 
the  bank  above  deposit  itself  upon  nw  boat,  so 
effectually  sealing  down  my  hatch-cover  that  it 
seemed  at  first  impossible  to  break  from  my 
prison.  After  repeated  trials  I  succeeded  in  dis- 
lodging the  mass,  and,  thankful  to  escape  prema- 
ture interment,  at  once  pushed  off  in  search  of 
a  better  camp. 

A  creek  soon  appeared,  but  its  entrance  was 
barred  by  a  large  tree  which  had  fallen  across  its 
mouth.  My  heavy  hatchet  now  proved  a  friend 
in  need,  and  putting  my  boat  close  to  the  tree,  I 
went  systematically  to  work,  and  soon  cut  out  a 
section  five  feet  in  leno-th.  Enterino- through  this 
gateway,  my  labors  were  rewarded  by  finding 
upon  the  bank  some  dry  fence-rails,  with  which 
a  rude  kitchen  was  soon  constructed  to  protect 
me  from  the  wind  while  preparing  m}'  meal. 
The  unusual  luxury  of  a  fire  brightened  the  weird 
scene,  and  the  flames  shot  upward,  cheering  the 
lone  voyager  and  frightening  the  owls  and  coons 
from  their  accustomed  lairs.  The  stronor  current 
had  been  of  great  assistance,  for  that  night  my 
log  registered  sixty-two  miles  for  the  day's  row. 

Leaving  the  creek  the  next  morning  by  star- 
light, I  passed  large  flocks  of  geese  and  ducks, 
while  Whooping-cranes  {^Grus  Americamcs) 
and  Sand-hill  cranes  (^Grus  Canadensis)^  in  little 


FOUR    .MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  IO9 

flocks,  dotted  the  grassy  prairies,  or  flew  from 
one  swamp  to  another,  filling  the  air  with  their 
startling  cries.  Both  these  species  are  found 
associated  in  flocks  upon  the  cultivated  prairie 
farms,  where  they  pillage  the  grain  and  vegetable 
fields  of  the  farmer.  Their  habits  are  somewhat 
similar,  though  theWhooping-crane  is  the  most 
war}'  of  the  two.  The  adult  Whooping-cranes 
are  white,  the  vounorer  birds  of  a  brownish  color. 
This  species  is  larger  than  the  Sand-hill  Crane, 
the  latter  havinsf  a  total  lens^th  of  from  fortv  to 
forty-two  inches.  The  Sand-hill  species  may 
be  distinguished  from  the  Whooping-crane  by  its 
slate-blue  color.  The  cackling,  whooping,  and 
screaming  voices  of  an  assembled  multitude  of 
these  birds  cannot  be  described.  They  can  be 
heard  tor  miles  upon  the  open  plains.  These 
birds  are  found  in  Florida  and  along  the  Gulf 
coast  as  well  as  over  lar^e  areas  of  the  northern 
states.  They  feed  upon  soft  roots,  which  they 
excavate  from  the  swamps,  and  upon  bugs  and 
reptiles  of  all  kinds.  It  requires  the  most  cau- 
tious stalking  on  the  part  of  the  hunter  to  get 
within  gunshot  of  them,  and  when  so  approached 
the  Whooping-crane  is  usually  the  first  of  the  two 
species  which  takes  to  the  wing.  The  social 
customs  of  these  birds  are  most  entertaining  to 
the  observer  who  may  lie  hidden  in  the  grass 
and  watch  them  through  a  glass.  Their  tall,  an- 
gular figures,   made  up   of  so   much  wing,  leg, 


no  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

neck,  and  bill,  counterpoised  b}^  so  little  body, 
incline  the  spectator  to  look  upon  them  as  orni- 
thological caricatures.  After  balancing  himself 
upon  one  foot  for  an  hour,  with  the  other  drawn  up 
close  to  his  scanty  robe  of  feathers,  and  his  head 
poised  in  a  most  contemplative  attitude,  one  of 
these  queer  birds  will  suddenly  turn  a  somersault, 
and,  returning  to  his  previous  posture,  continue 
his  cogitations  as  though  nothing  had  interrupted 
his  reflections.  With  wings  spread,  they  slowly 
winnow  the  air,  rising  or  hopping  from  the  ground 
a  few  feet  at  a  time,  then  whirling  in  circles  upon 
their  toes,  as  though  going  through  the  mazes  of 
a  dance.  Their  most  popular  diversion  seems  to 
be  the  game  of  leap-frog,  and  their  long  legs 
being  specially  adapted  to  this  sport,  they  achieve 
a  wonderful  success.  One  of  the  birds  quietly  as- 
sumes a  squattmg  position  upon  the  ground,  when 
his  sportive  companions  hop  in  turn  over  his 
expectant  head.  They  then  pirouette,  turn  som- 
ersaults, and  go  through  various  exercises  with 
the  skill  of  gymnasts.  Their  sportive  proclivities 
seem  to  have  no  bounds;  and  being  true  humor- 
ists, they  preserve  through  their  gambols  a  ridic- 
ulousl}^  sedate  appearance.  Popular  accounts  of 
the  nidification  of  these  birds  are  frequently  un- 
true. We  are  told  that  they  build  their  cone- 
shaped  nests  of  mud,  sticks,  and  grass  in  shallow 
water,  in  colonies,  and  that  their  nests,  being 
PLACED  ON    RAFTS    of    buoyant    material,    float 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  Ill 

about  in  the  bayous,  and  are  propelled  and  guided 
at  the  will  of  the  sitting  bird  by  the  use  of  her 
long  legs  and  feet  as  oars.  The  position  of  the 
bird  upon  the  nest  is  also  ludicrously  depicted. 
It  is  described  as  sitting  astride  the  nest,  with  the 
toes  touching  the  ground;  and  to  add  still  more 
comicality  to  the  picture,  it  is  asserted  that  the 
limbs  are  often  thrust  out  horizontally  behind  the 
bird.  The  results  of  close  observations  prove 
that  these  accounts  are  in  keeping  with  many 
others  related  by  parlor  naturalists.  The  cranes 
sit  upon  their  nests  like  other  birds,  with  their 
feet  drawn  up  close  to  the  body.  The  mound- 
shaped  nests  are  built  of  sticks,  grass,  and  mud, 
and  usually  placed  in  a  shallow  pond  or  partially 
submerged  swamp,  while  at  times  a  grassy  has- 
sock furnishes  the  foundation  of  the  structure. 
In  the  saucer-shaped  top  of  the  nest  two  eggs 
are  deposited,  upon   which   the    bird    sits    most 


Popular  Jdea  of   the  Nesting  of  j3ranes. 


112  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

assiduously,  having  no  time  at  this  season  for 
aquatic  amusements,  such  as  paddling  about  with 
her  nest. 

The  young  birds  are  most  hilarious  babies,  for 
they  inherit  the  social  qualities  of  their  parents, 
and  are  ready  to  play  or  fight  with  each  other 
before  they  are  fairly  out  of  the  nest.  A  close 
observer  of  their  habits  writes  from  the  prairies 
of  Indiana:  "When  the  3'oung  get  a  little 
strength  they  attack  each  other  with  great  fury, 
and  can  only  be  made  to  desist  by  the  parent 
bird  separating  them,  and  taking  one  under  its 
fostering  care,  and  holding  them  at  a  respectable 
distance  until  they  reach  crane-hood^  when  they 
seem  to  make  up  in  jo3'ous  hilarity  for  the  quar- 
relsome proclivities  of  youth.-' 

Like  geese  and  ducks,  cranes  winter  in  one 
locality  so  long  as  the  ponds  are  open,  but  the  first 
cold  snap  that  freezes  their  swamp  drives  them 
tw^o  or  three  degrees  further  south.  From  this 
migration  they  soon  return  to  their  old  haunts, 
the  first  thawing  of  the  ice  being  the  signal. 

The  mouths  of  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland 
rivers  were  passed,  and  the  Ohio,  widening  in 
places  until  it  seemed  like  a  lake,  assumed  a  new 
grandeur  as  it  approached  the  Mississippi.  Three 
miles  below  Wilkinsonville,  but  on  the  Kentucky 
side,  I  stole  into  a  dark  creek  and  rested  until 
the  next  morning,  Friday,  December  31st,  W'hich 
was  to  be  my  last  day  on  the  Ohio  River. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  II3 

I  entered  a  long  reach  in  the  river  soon  after 
nine  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  and  could 
plainly  see  the  town  of  Cairo,  resting  upon  the 
flat  prairies  in  the  distance.  The  now  yellow, 
muddy  current  of  the  Ohio  rolled  along  the  great 
railroad  dike,  w^hich  had  cost  one  million  dollars 
to  erect,  and  formed  a  barrier  strong  enough  to 
resist  the  rushing  waters  of  the  freshets.  Across 
the  southern  apex  of  this  prairie  city  could  be 
seen  the  "  Father  of  Waters,"  its  wide  surface 
bounded  on  the  west  by  the  wilderness.  A  few 
moments  more,  and  my  little  craft  was  whirled 
into  its  rapid,  eddying  current;  and  with  the 
boat's  prow  now  pointed  southward,  I  com- 
menced, as  it  were,  a  life  of  new  experiences  as 
I  descended  the  great  river,  where  each  day  I 
was  to  feel  the  genial  influences  of  a  warmer 
climate. 

The  thought  of  entering  warm  and  sunny  re- 
gions was,  indeed,  welcome  to  a  man  who  had 
forced  his  v^vay  through  rafts  of  ice,  under  cloudy 
skies,  through  a  smoky  atmosphere,  and  had  par- 
taken of  food  of  the  same  chilling  temperature 
for  so  many  days.  This  prospect  of  a  genial 
clime,  with  the  more  comfortable  camping  and 
rowing  it  was  sure  to  bring,  gave  new  vigor  to 
my  arms,  daily  growing  stronger  with  their  task, 
and  each  long,  steady  pull  told  as  it  swept  me 
down  the  river. 

The  faithful  sneak-box  had  carried  me  more 
8 


114 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


than  a  thousand  miles  since  I  entered  her  at  Pitts- 
burgh. This,  of  course,  includes  the  various 
detours  made  in  searching  for  camping-grounds, 
frequent  crossings  of  the  wide  river  to  avoid  drift 
stuff,  &c.  The  descent  of  the  Ohio  had  occu- 
pied about  tv\'ent3'-nine  days,  but  many  hours 
had  been  lost  by  storms  keeping  me  in  camp, 
and  other  unav^oidable  delays.  As  an  offset  to 
these  stoppages,  it  must  be  remembereel  that  the 
current,  increased  b}^  freshets,  was  with  me,  and 
to  it,  as  much  as  to  the  industrious  arms  of  the 
rower,  must  be  given  the  credit  for  the  long 
route  gone  over  in  so  short  a  time,  by  so  small 
'  a  boat. 


^TERN-WHEEL,  '^VeSTERN   To\Y-BOAT   PUSHING    FlATBOATS. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 1  c^ 


CHAPTER    VI. 

DESCENT    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

LEAVE  CAIRO,  ILLINOIS.  —  THE  LONGEST  RIVER  IN  THE  WORLD. 
—  BOOK  GEOGRAPHY  AND  BOAT  GEOGRAPHY.  —  CHICKASAW 
BLUFF.  —  MEETIN(i  WITH  THE  P.\RAKEETS.  —  FORT  DONALD- 
SON.—  EARTHQUAKES  AND  LAKES.  —  WEIRD  BEAUTY  OF  REEL- 
FOOT  LAKE. — JOE  ECKEL'S  BAR.  —  SHANTY-BOAT  COOKING. — 
FORT  PILLOW.  —  MEMPHIS.  —  A  NEGRO  JUSTICE.  —  "  DE  COMMON 
LAW   OB   MISSISSIPPI." 

MY  floating  home  was  now  upon  the  broad 
Mississippi,  which  text-book  geographers 
still  insist  upon  calling  "the  Father  of  Waters  — 
the  largest  river  in  North  America."  Its  cur- 
rent Avas  about  one-third  faster  than  that  of  its 
tributary,  the  Ohio.  Its  banks  were  covered 
with  heavy  forests,  and  for  miles  along  its 
course  the  great  wilderness  was  broken  only  by 
the  half-tilled   lands  of  the   cotton-planter. 

From  Cairo  southward  the  river^  is  very  tort- 
uous, turning  back  upon  itself  as  if  imitating  the 
convolutions  of  a  crawling  serpent,  aiul  follow- 
ins:  a  channel  of  more  than  eleven  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  before  its  waters  unite  with  those  of 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  countr}'  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico   is 


Il6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

truly  the  delta  of  the  Mississippi,  for  the  river 
north  of  Cairo  cuts  through  table-lands,  and  is 
contined  to  its  old  bed;  but  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio  the  great  river  persistently  seeks 
for  new  channels,  and,  as  we  approach  New  Or- 
leans, we  discover  branches  which. carry  ofl'  a 
considerable  portion  of  its  water  to  the  Gulf 
coast  in  southwestern  Tvouisiana. 

It  is  always  with  some  degree  of  hesitation 
that  I  introduce  geographical  details  into  my 
books,  as  I  well  know  that  a  taste  for  the  study 
of  ph3'sical  geography  has  not  been  developed 
among  my  countrymen.  Where  among  all  our 
colleges  is  there  a  well-supported  chair  of 
physical  geography  occupied  b}'  an  American? 
We  sometimes  hear  of  a  "  Professor  of  Geol- 
ogy and  Physical  Geography,''  but  the  last  is 
only  a  sort  of  appendage  —  a  tail  —  to  the  for- 
iner.  When  a  student  of  American  geography 
begins  the  study  in  earnest,  he  discovers  that 
our  geographies  are  insufficient,  are  filled  with 
errors,  and  that  our  maps  possess  a  greater 
number  of  inaccuracies  than  truths.  When  he 
goes  into  the  field  to  study  the  physical  geog- 
raph}'  of  his  native  land,  he  is  forced  to  go 
through  the  disagreeable  process  of  unlearning 
all  he  has  been  taught  from  the  poor  text- 
books of  stay-at-home  travellers  and  closet 
students,  whose  compilations  have  burdened  his 
mind  with    errors.     In   despair  he   turns   to   the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  II7 

topographical  charts  and  maps  of  the  ''United 
States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,"  and  of  the 
"  Engineer  Corps  of  the  United  States  Arm}'," 
and  in  the  truthful  and  interesting  results  of  the 
practical  labors  of  ti-ained  observers  he  takes 
courage  as  he  enters  anew  his  field  of  study. 
The  cartographer  of  the  shop  economically  con- 
structs his  unreliable  maps  to  supply  a  cheap 
demand;  and  strani^je  to  sav,  thou2:h  the  results 
of  the  government  surveys  are  freely  at  his  dis- 
posal, he  rarely  makes  use  of  them.  It  costs 
too  much  to  alter  the  old  map-plates,  and  but 
few  persons  will  feel  sufficiently  interested  to 
criticise  the   faults  of  his   latest  edition. 

''•How  do  you  get  the  interior  details?"  I  once 
asked  the  agent  of  one  of  the  largest  map  estab- 
lishments in  the  United  States.  "  Oh,"  he  an- 
swered, "  when  we  cannot  get  township  details 
from  local  surveys,  we  sling  them  in  anyhow." 
An  error  once  taught  from  our  geographies  and 
maps  will  remain  an  error  for  a  generation,  and 
our  text-book  geographers  will  continue  to  re- 
peat it,  for  they  do  not  travel  over  the  countries 
they  describe,  and  rarely  adopt  the  results  of 
scientific  investigation.  The  most  unpopular 
studv  in  the  schools  of  the  United  States  is 
that  of  the  geography  of  our  countr}'.  It  does 
not  amount  merely  to  a  feeling  of  indifference, 
but  in  some  colleges  to  a  positive  prejudice. 
The   chief  mountain-climbing  club  of  America, 


Il8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

counting  among  its  members  some  of  the  best 
minds  of  our  day,  was  confronted  by  this  very 
prejudice.  "  If  you  introduce  the  study  of 
physical  geography  in  connection  with  the  ex- 
plorations of  mountains,  I  will  not  join  3-our 
association,"  said  a  gentleman  living  almost 
within  the  shadow  of  the  buildings  of  our  old- 
est university. 

A  committee  of  Chinese  who  called  upon  the 
school  authorities  of  a  Pacific-coast  city,  sev- 
eral years  since,  respectfully  petitioned  that 
"you  will  not  waste  the  time  of  our  children 
in  teaching  them  geography.  You  say  the 
world  is  round;  some  of  us  say  it  is  flat. 
What  difference  does  it  make  to  our  business 
if  it  be  round  or  flat?  The  study  of  geogra- 
phy will  not  help  us  to  make  money.  It  may 
do  for  Melican  man,  but  it  is  not  good  for 
Chinese." 

I  once  knew  a  chairman  of  the  school  trus- 
tees in  a  town  in  New  Jersey  to  remove  his 
daughters  from  the  public  school  simply  be- 
cause the  teacher  insisted  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  instruct  his  pupils  in  the  study  of  geogra- 
phy. "  My  boys  may  go  to  sea  some  day, 
and  then  geography  may  be  of  service  to 
them,"  said  this  chairman  to  the  teacher,  "but 
'  if  my  daughters  study  it  they  will  waste  their 
time.  Of  what  use  can  geography  be  to  girls 
who  will  never  command  a  vessel?" 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  II9 

While  conscious  that  I  may  inflict  an  unin- 
teresting chapter  upon  my  reader  who  may  have 
accompanied  me  with  a  commendable  degree 
of  patience  so  far  upon  my  lonely  voyage,  I 
nevertheless  feel  it  a  duty  to  place  on  record  a 
few  facts  that  are  well  known  to  scientific  men, 
if  not  to  the  writers  of  popular  geographies, 
reofardins  the  existence  within  the  boundaries 
of  our  own  country  of  the  longest  river  in  the 
world.  It  is  time  that  the  recognition  of  this 
fact  should  be  established  in  every  school  in 
the  United  States.  As  this  is  a  very  impor- 
tant subject,  let  us  examine   it  in  detail. 

The  Missouri  is  the  longest  river  in 
the  world,  and  the  mississippi  is  only  a 
BRANCH  OF  IT.  The  Mississippi  River  joins  its 
current  with  that  of  the  Missouri  about  two 
hundred  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio; 
consequently,  as  we  are  now  to  allow  the  largest 
stream  (the  Missouri)  to  bear  its  name  from 
its  source  all  the  way  to  the  Gulf  of  ^Mexico,  it 
follows  that  the  Ohio  flows  into  the  Missouri 
and  not  into  the  Mississippi  River.  The  Mis- 
souri, and  NOT  the  Mississippi,  is  the  main  stream 
of  what  has  been  called  the  Mississippi  Basin. 
The  Missouri,  when  taken  from  its  fountain- 
heads  of  the  Gallatin,  Madison,  and  Red  Rock 
lakes,  or,  if  we  take  the  Jeflferson  Fork  as  the 
principal  tributary,  has  a  length,  from  its  source 
to  its  union  with  the  Mississippi,  of  above  three 


I20  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

thousand  miles.  The  United  States  Topograph- 
ical Eno^ineers  have  credited  it  with  a  lenofth 
of  two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eight  miles, 
when  divested  of  some  of  these  tributary  exten- 
sions. The  same  good  authority  gives  the  Mis- 
sissippi a  length  of  thirteen  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  from  its  source  to  its  junction  with  the 
Missouri. 

At  this  junction  of  the  two  rivers  the  Mis- 
souri has  a  mean  discharge  of  one  hundred  and 
twent}^  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  per  sec- 
ond, or  one-seventh  greater  than  that  of  the 
Mississippi,  which  has  a  mean  discharge  of 
one  hundred  and  five  thousand  cubic  feet  per 
second.  The  Missouri  drains  live  hundred  and 
eighteen  thousand  square  miles  of  territor}', 
w^iile  the  Mississippi  drains  only  one  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  thousand  square  miles.  While 
the  latter  river  has  by  far  the  greatest  rainfall, 
the  Missouri  discharges  the  largest  amount  of 
water,  and  at  the  point  of  union  of  the  two 
streams  is  from  fifteen  to  seventeen  hundred 
miles  the  longer  of  the  two.  Therefore,  accord- 
ing to  natural  laws,  the  Missouri  is  the  main 
stream,  and  the  smaller  and  shorter  Mississippi 
is  only  a  branch  of  it.  From  the  junction  of 
the  two  rivers  the  current,  increased  by  numer- 
ous tributaries,  follows  a  crooked  channel  some 
thirteen  hundred  and  fifty-five  miles  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.     The  Missouri,  therefore,  has  a  total 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  121 

length  of  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  miles,  without  counting  some  of  its  highest 
sources. 

The  learned  Professor  A.  Guyot,  in  a  treatise 
on  physical  geography,  written  for  -'A.  J.  John- 
son's New  Illustrated  Family  Atlas  of  the  World," 
informs  us  that  the  Amazon  River,  the  great 
drainer  of  the  eastern  Andes,  is  three  thousand 
live    hundred    and    fifty  miles   long,   and   is    the 

LONGEST    RIVER    IN    THE    WORLD. 

According  to  the  figures  used  by  me  in  ref- 
erence to  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi,  and 
which  are  the  results  of  actual  observations 
made  by  competent  engineers,  the  reader  will 
find,  notwithstanding  the  statements  made  by 
our  best  geographers  in  regard  to  the  length 
of  the  Amazon,  that  there  is  one  river  within 
the  contines  of  our  country  which  is  eight  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  miles  longer  than  the  Amazon, 
and  is  the  longest  though  not  the  widest  river  in 
the  world.  The  rivers  of  what  is  now  called  the 
Mississippi  Basin  drain  one  million  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  thousand  square  miles  of 
territory,  while  the  broader  Amazon,  with  its 
many  tributaries,  drains  the  much  larger  area 
of  two  million  two  hundred  and  seventy-tive 
thousand  square  miles. 

A  century  after  the  Spaniard,  De  Soto,  had 
discovered  the  lower  Mississippi,  and  had  been 
interred    in    its    bed,    a    French    interpreter,    of 


122  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

"  Three  Rivers,"  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  named  Jean  Nicollet,  explored 
one  of  the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi. 
This  was  about  the  year  1639. 

It  was  reserved  for  La  Salle  to  make  the  first 
thorough  exploration  of  the  Mississippi.  A  few 
months  after  he  had  returned,  alone,  from  his  ex- 
amination of  the  Ohio  as  far  as  the  falls  at  Louis- 
ville, in  1669-70,  this  undaunted  man  followed 
the  Great  Lakes  of  the  north  to  the  western  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  making  a  portage  to  a 
river,  "  evidently  the  Illinois,"  traversed  it  to  its 
intersection  with  another  river,  ^'  flowing  from  the 
north-west  to  the  south-east,"  which  river  must 
have  been  the  Mississippi,  and  which  it  is  af- 
firmed La  Salle  descended  to  the  thirty-sixth 
degree  of  latitude,  when  he  became  convinced 
that  this  unexplored  stream  discharged  itself,  not 
into  the  Gulf  of  California,  but  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  So  La  Salle  was  the  discoverer  of  the 
Illinois  as  well  as  of  the  Ohio;  and  during  his 
subsequent  visits  to  the  Mississippi  gave  that 
river  a  thorough  exploration. 

My  entrance  to  the  INIississippi  River  was 
marked  by  the  advent  of  severe  squalls  of  wind 
and  rain,  which  drove  me  about  noon  to  the 
shelter  of  Island  No.  1,  where  I  dined,  and 
where  in  half  an  hour  the  sun  came  out  in  all 
its  glory.  Man}^  peculiar  features  of  the  Missis- 
sippi attracted  my  notice.     Sand  bars  appeared 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 23 

above  the  water,  and  large  flocks  of  ducks  and 
geese  rested  upon  them.  Later,  the  high  Chick- 
asaw Bluff,  the  first  and  highest  of  a  series  which 
rise  at  intervals,  like  islands  out  of  the  low  bot- 
toms as  far  south  as  Natchez,  came  into  view  on 
the  left  side  of  the  river.  The  mound-builders 
of  past  ages  used  these  natural  fortresses  to  hold 
at  bay  the  fierce  tribes  of  the  north,  and  long 
afterward  this  Chickasaw  Bluff  played  a  conspic- 
uous part  in  the  civil  war  between  the  states. 
Columbus,  a  small  village,  and  the  terminus  of  a 
railroad,  is  at  the  foot  of  the  heights. 

A  little  lower  down,  and  opposite  Chalk  Bluff, 
was  a  heavil}''  wooded  island,  a  part  of  the  terri- 
tory of  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  known  as  Wolf 
Island,  or  Island  No.  5.  At  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  I  ran  into  a  little  thoroughfare  on  the 
eastern  side  of  this  island,  and  moored  the  duck- 
boat  under  its  muddy  banks.  The  wind  increased 
to  a  gale  before  morning,  and  kept  me  through 
the  entire  day,  and  until  the  following  morning, 
an  unwilling  captive.  Reading  and  cooking 
helped  to  while  away  the  heavy  hours,  but  hav- 
ing burned  up  all  the  dry  wood  I  could  find,  I 
was  forced  to  seek  other  quarters,  which  were 
found  in  a  romantic  stream  that  flowed  out  of  a 
swamp  and  joined  the  Mississippi  just  one  mile 
above  Hickman,  on  the  Kentucky  side.  Having 
passed  a  comfortable  night,  and  making  an  early 
start  without  breakfast,  I  rowed  rapidly  over  a 


124  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

smooth  current  to  the  stream  called  Ba}-©!!  du 
Chien  Creek,  in  which  I  made  a  very  attractive 
camp  among  the  giant  sycamores,  sweet-gums, 
and  cotton-w^oods.  The  warm  sunshine  pene- 
trated into  this  sheltered  spot,  while  the  wind  had 
fallen  to  a  gentle  zephyr,  and  came  in  refreshing 
puffs  through  the  lofty  trees.  Here  birds  were 
numerous,  and  briskly  hopped  about  my  tire 
while  I  made  an  omelet  and  boiled  some  wheaten 
grits. 

In  this  retired  haunt  of  the  birds  I  remained 
through  the  whole  of  that  sunn}-  Sunda}',  cooking 
my  three  meals,  and  reading  my  Bible,  as  became 
a  civilized  man.  While  enjoying  this  immunity 
from  the  disturbing  elements  of  the  great  public 
thoroughfare,  the  river,  curious  cries  were  borne 
upon  the  wind  above  the  tall  tree-tops  like  the 
chattering  calls  of  parrots,  to  which  my  car  had 
become  accustomed  in  the  tropical  forests  of 
Cuba.  As  the  noise  grew  louder  with  the  ap- 
proach of  a  feathered  flock  of  visitors,  and  the 
screams  of  the  birds  became  more  discordant,  I 
peered  through  the  branches  of  the  forest  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  what  I  had  searched  for  through 
many  hundred  miles  of  wilderness  since  m}- bo}-- 
hood,  but  what  had  so  far  eluded  my  eager  e^'cs. 
I  felt  certain  these  stransfc  cries  must  come  from 
the  Carolina  Parrot,  or  Parakeet  (^Conunis  Caro- 
linensis),  which,  though  once  numerous  in  all 
the  country  west  of  the  Alleghanics  as  far  nortli 


FOUR  :months  in  a  sneak-box. 


125 


as  the  southern  shores  of 
the  Great  Lakes,  has  so 
rapidly  diminished  in 
u_  number  since  1825,  that 
we  lind  it  only  as  an  oc- 
,  >vv  ^  casional  inhabitant  of  the 
""^'wAA'^^  middle  states  south  of  the 
Ohio  River.  In  fact,  this 
species  is  now  chiefly 
J  confined  to  Florida,  west- 
ern Louisiana,  Texas,  Ar- 
kansas, and  the  Indian 
Territory.  That  careful 
and  reliable  ornithologist, 
Dr.  Elliot  Coues,  seems  to 
doubt  whether  it  is  now 
entitled  to  a  place  in  the 
avi-fauna  of  South  Caro- 
lina, where  it  was  once 
found  in   large  flocks. 

The  birds  soon  reached 
the   locality  of  my  camp, 


Meeting  with   the  j^arakeets. 


126  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

and  circling  through  the  clear,  warm  atmos- 
phere above  the  tree-tops,  they  graduall}^  set- 
tled lower  and  lower,  suspiciously  scanning 
my  fire,  screaming  as  though  their  little  throats 
would  burst,  while  the  sunlight  seemed  to  fill 
the  air  with  the  reflections  of  the  green,  gold, 
and  carmine  of  their  brilliant  plumage.  They 
dropped  into  the  foliage  of  the  grove^  and  for  a 
moment  were  as  quiet  as  though  life  had  de- 
parted from  them,  while  I  kept  close  to  m}^ 
hiding-place  behind  an  immense  fallen  tree, 
from  beneath  which  I  could  watch  my  feathery 
guests. 

The  bodies  of  the  adult  birds  were  emerald 
green,  with  bright  blue  reflections.  The  heads 
were  yellow,  excepting  the  forehead  and  cheeks, 
which  were  scarlet.  The  large,  thick,  and  hooked 
bill  was  white,  as  well  as  the  bare  orbital  space 
around  the  eye.  The  feet  were  a  light  flesh- 
color.  The  length  from  tip  of  bill  to  end  of 
tail  w^as  about  fourteen  inches.  The  young 
birds  could  be  easily  distinguished  from  the 
adults  by  their  short  tails  and  the  uniform  coat 
of  green,  while  in  some  cases  the  frontlet  of 
scarlet  was  just  beginning  to  show  itself.  The 
adult  males  were   longer  than  the  females. 

The  Carolina  Parrot  does  not  put  on  its 
bright-yellow  hues  until  the  second  season,  and 
its  most  brilliant  tints  do  not  come  to  perfec- 
tion until  the  bird  is  fully  two  years  old.     They 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 27 

feed  upon  the  seeds  of  the  cockle-burrs,  which 
grow  in  abandoned  fields  of  the  planter,  as 
well  as  upon  fruits  of  all  kinds,  much  of  which 
they  waste  in  their  uneconomical  method  of 
eating-.  The  low  alluvial  bottom-lands  of  the 
river,  where  pecan  and  beech  nuts  abound,  are 
their  favorite  hunting-grounds. 

It  is  singular  that  Alexander  Wilson,  and,  in 
fact,  all  the  naturalists,  except  Audubon,  who 
have  written  about  this  interesting  bird,  have 
failed  to  examine  its  nest  and  eggs.  By  the 
unsatisfactory  manner  in  which  Audubon  refers 
to  the  nidification  of  this  parakeet,  one  is  led 
to  believe  that  even  he  did  not  become  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  its   breeding  habits. 

The  offer  by  Mr.  Maynard  of  one  dollar  for 
every  parrot's  egg  delivered  to  him,  induced  a 
Florida  cracker  to  cut  a  path  into  a  dense  cy- 
press swamp  at  Dunn's  Lake,  about  the  middle 
of  the  month  of  June.  The  hunter  was  occupied 
three  days  in  the  enterprise,  and  returned  much 
disgusted  with  the  job.  He  had  found  the  nests 
of  the  parakeets  in  the  hollow  cypress-trees  of 
the  swamp,  but  he  was  too  late  to  secure  the 
eggs,  as  they  were  hatched,  and  the  nests  filled 
with  young  birds.  The  number  of  young  in 
each  nest  seemed  to  leave  no  doubt  of  the  tact 
of  several  adults  nesting  in  one  hole.  Probably 
the  eggs  are  laid  about  the  last  of  May. 

These    birds    are    extremely    gregarious,    and 


128  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

have  been  seen  at  sunset  to  cluster  upon  the 
trunk  of  a  gigantic  cypress  Hke  a  swarm  of 
bees.  One  after  another  slowly  crawls  through 
a  hole  into  the  cavity  until  it  is  iilled  up,  while 
those  who  are  not  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  en- 
trance, or  reserved  seats,  cling  to  the  outside 
ot  the  trunk  with  their  claws,  and  keep  their 
position  through  the  night  chieiiy  by  hooking 
the  tip  of  the  upper  mandible  of  the  beak  into 
the  bark  of  the  tree.  The  backwoodsmen  con- 
fidentl}^  assert  that  they  have  found  as  many  as 
twenty  eggs  of  a  greenish  white  in  a  single  hol- 
low of  a  cypress-tree;  and  as  it  is  generally  sup- 
posed, judging  from  the  known  habits  of  other 
species  of  this  genus,  that  the  Carolina  Parrot 
lays  only  two  eggs,  but  few  naturalists  doubt 
that  these  birds  nest  in  companies.  It  Is  a  very 
difficult  task  to  find  the  nests  of  parrots  In  the 
West  Indies,  some  of  them  bulldln"-  In  the  hoi- 
lowed  top  of  the  dead  trunk  of  a  roval  palm 
which  has  been  denuded  of  its  branches;  and 
there,  upon  the  unprotected  summit  of  a  single 
column  eighty  feet  In  height,  without  any  shel- 
ter from  tropical  storms,  the  Cuban  Parrot  rears 
its  young. 

The  Carolina  Parrot  is  the  onlv  one  of  this 
species  which  may  truly  be  said  to  be  a  per- 
manent resident  of  our  country-.  The  Mexi- 
can species  are  sometimes  met  with  along  the 
southwestern    boundaries    of  the    United    States, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 29 

but  they  emigrate  only  a  few  miles  north- 
ward of  their  own  regions.  The  salt-licks  in 
the  great  button-wood  bottoms  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi were  once  the  favorite  resorts  of 
these  birds,  and  the}'  delighted  to  drink  the 
saline  water.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  in- 
teresting a  bird  should  have  been  so  ruthlessly 
slaughtered  where  they  were  once  so  numer- 
ous. Only  the  young  birds  are  fit  to  eat,  but 
we  read  in  the  accounts  of  our  pioneer  natural- 
ists that  froin  eight  to  twenty  birds  were  often 
killed  by  the  single  discharge  of  a  gun,  and  that 
as  the  survivors  would  airain  and  aaain  return 
to  the  lurking-place  of  their  destroyer,  attracted 
by  the  distressing  cries  of  their  wounded  com- 
rades, the  unfeeling  sportsman  would  continue 
his  work  of  destruction  until  more  than  half 
of  a  laro-e  flock  would  be  exterminated.  This 
interesting  parakeet  may,  during  the  next  cen- 
tmy,  pass  out  of  existence,  and  be  known  to  our 
descendants  as  the  Great  Auk  (^Alca  impennis) 
is  now  known  to  us,  as  a  ver}'  rare  specimen  in 
the  museums  of  natural  history. 

On  ^Monday,  Januar}^  3,  I  rowed  out  of  the 
Ba3'^ou  du  Chien,  and  soon  reached  the  town 
of  Hickman,  Kentucky,  where  I  invested  in  a 
basketful  of  mince-pies,  that  deleterious  com- 
pound so  dear  to  every  American  heart.  A 
large  flatboat,  built  upon  the  most  primitive 
principles,  and  without  cabin  of  any  kind,  was 

9 


130  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-ROX. 

leaving  the  landing,  evidently  bound  on  a  lish- 
ing-cruise,  for  her  hold  was  filled  with  long 
nets  and  barrels  of  provisions.  A  large  roll  of 
canvas,  to  be  used  as  a  protection  against  rain, 
was  stowed  in  one  end  of  the  odd  craft,  while 
at  the  other  end  was  a  large  and  very  rusty 
cooking-stove,  with  a  joint  of  pipe  rising  above 
it.  The  crew  of  fishermen  labored  at  a  pair 
of  long  sweeps  until  the  flat  reached  the  strong 
current,  when  they  took  in  their  oars,  and,  clus- 
tering about  the  stove,  filled  their  pipes,  and  were 
soon  reclining  at  their  ease  on  the  pile  of  nets, 
apparently  as  well  satisfied  with  their  tub  as 
Diogenes  was  with  his.  As  I  rowed  past  them, 
they  roused  themselves  into  some  semblance  of 
interest,  and  gazed  upon  the  little  white  boat, 
so  like  a  pumpkin-seed  in  shape,  which  soon 
passed  from  their  view  as  it  disappeared  down 
the  wide  Mississippi. 

There  was  something  in  the  appearance  of 
that  rough  flatboat  that  made  me  wish  I  had 
hailed  her  quiet  crew;  for,  strange  to  say,  they 
did  not  send  after  me  a  shower  of  slang  phrases 
and  uncouth  criticisms,  the  usual  prelude  to 
conversation  among  flatboat-men  when  they 
desire  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  a  fel- 
low-voyager. In  fact,  it  was  rather  startling 
not  to  have  the  usual  greeting,  and  I  won- 
dered why  I  heard  no  friendly  expressions,  such 
as,  "  Here,  you   river  thief,  haul   alongside  and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I31 

report  yourself!  Whar  did  you  come  from? 
Come  and  take  a  pull  at  the  bottle!  It's  prime 
stuff,  I  tell  ye;  will  kill  a  man  at  forty  paces," 
&c.  The  rusty  stove  was  as  strong  an  attraction 
as  the  quiet  crew,  as  I  thought  how  convenient 
it  would  be  to  run  alongside  of  the  old  boat 
and  utilize  it  for  my  culinar}'  purposes.  The 
unwonted  silence,  however,  proved  conclusively 
that  some  refined  instinct,  unknown  to  the  usual 
crews  of  such  boats,  governed  these  voyagers, 
and  I  feared  to  intrude  upon  so  dignified  a 
party. 

Descending  a  long  straight  reach,  after  mak- 
ing a  run  of  twenty-three  miles,  I  crossed  the 
limits  of  Kentucky,  and,  entering  Tennessee, 
saw  on  its  shore,  in  a  deep  bend  of  the  river, 
the  site  of  Fort  Donaldson,  while  opposite  to 
it  lay  the  low  Island  No.  10.  Both  of  these 
places  were  full  of  interest,  being  the  scenes 
of  conflict  in  our  civil  war.  The  little  white 
sneak-box  glided  down  another  long  bend,  over 
the  wrecks  of  seven  steamboats,  and  passed 
New  Madrid,  on  the  ]Missouri  shore.  The 
mouth  of  Reelfoot  Bayou  then  opened  before 
me,  a  creek  which  conducts  the  waters  from 
the  weird  recesses  of  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing lakes  in  America,  —  a  lake  which  was  the 
immediate  result  of  a  disastrous  series  of  dis- 
turbances generally  referred  to  as  the  New 
Madrid  -earthquakes,  and  which   took  place    in 


132  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

181 1-13.  ]Much  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity 
of  New  Madrid  and  Fort  Donaldson  was  in- 
volved in  these  serious  shocks.  Swamps  were 
upheaved  and  converted  into  dry  uplands,  while 
cultivated  uplands  were  depressed  below  the 
average  water  level,  and  became  swamps  or 
ponds  of  water.  The  inhabitants,  deprived  of 
their  little  farms,  were  reduced  to  such  a  stage 
of  suftering  as  to  call  for  aid  from  government, 
and  new  lands  were  granted  them  in  place  ol 
their  fields  which  had  sunk  out  of  sight.  Hun- 
dreds of  square  miles  of  territory  were  lost  dur- 
insf  the  two  years  of  terrestrial   convulsions. 

The  most  interesting  etlect  of  the  subsidence 
of  the  land  was  the  creation  of  Reelfoot  Lake, 
the  fiuvial  entrance  to  which  is  from  the  tort- 
uous ^lississippi  some  forty-five  miles  below 
Hickm.an,  Kentucky.  The  northern  portion  of 
the  lake  is  west  of  and  a  short  distance  from 
Fort  Donaldson,  about  twenty  miles  from  Hick- 
man, bv  the  river  route.  As  Reelfoot  Lake 
possesses  the  peculiar  flora  and  characteristics 
of  a  multitude  of  other  swamp-lakes  through- 
out the  wilderness  of  the  lower  ^Mississippi 
valley,  I  cannot  better  describe  them  all  than 
b}'  giving  to  the  reader  a  description  of  that 
lake,  written  by  an  intelligent  observer  Avho  vis- 
ited the  locality  in  1874. 

"Nothing,"  he   says,  "could  well    exceed  the 
sino-ularity  of  the  view  that  meets  the  eye  as  one 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 33 

comes  out  of  the  shadows  of  the  forest  on  to  the 
border  of  this  sheet  of  water.  From  the  marshy 
shore  spreads  out  the  vast  extent  of  the  seeming- 
ly level  carpet  of  vegetation, —  a  mat  of  plants, 
studded  over  with  a  host  of  beautiful  flowers; 
through  this  green  prairie  runs  a  maze  ot  water- 
ways, some  just  wide  enough  for  a  pirogue, 
some  widening  into  pools  of  darkened  water. 
All  over  this  expanse  rise  the  trunks  of  gigan- 
tic cypresses,  shorn  of  all  their  limbs,  and  left 
like  great  obelisks,  scattered  so  thickly  that  the 
distance  is  lost  in  the  forest  of  spires.  Some 
are  whitened  and  some  blackened  by  decay  and 
Arc;  many  rise  to  a  hundred  feet  or  more  above 
the  lake.  The  branches  are  all  gone,  save  in 
a  few  more  gigantic  forms,  whose  fantastic  rem- 
nants of  the  old  forest  arches  add  to  the  illu- 
sion of  monumental  ruin  which  forces  itself  on 
the  mind.  The  singularity  of  the  general  effect 
is  quite  matched  by  the  wonder  of  the  detail. 

"Taking  the  solitary  dug-out  canoe,  or  pi- 
rogue, as  it  is  called  in  the  vernacular,  we  pad- 
dled out  into  the  tangle  of  water-paths.  The 
green  carpet,  studded  with  3'ellow  and  white, 
that  we  saw  from  the  shores,  resolved  itself  into 
a  marvellously  beautiful  and  varied  vegetation. 
From  the  tangle  of  curious  forms  the  eye  selects 
two  noble  flowers:  our  familiar  northern  water- 
lily,  grown  to  a  royal  form,  its  flowers  ten  inches 
broad,  and  its  floating  pads  near  a  foot  across; 


134  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

and  another  grander  flower,  the  Wampapin  lily, 
the  queen  of  American  flowers.  It  is  worth  a 
long  journey  to  see  this  shy  denizen  of  our 
swamps  in  its  full  beauty.  From  the  midst  o{ 
its  great  floating  leaves,  which  are  two  feet  or 
more  in  diameter,  rise  two  large  leaves  borne 
upon  stout  foot-stalks  that  bring  them  a  3'ard 
above  the  water;  from  between  these  elevated 
leaves  rises  to  a  still  greater  height  the  stem 
of  the  flower.  The  corolla  itself  is  a  gold- 
colored  cup  a  foot  in  diameter,  lily-like  in  a 
general  way,  but  with  a  large  pestle-shaped 
ovary  rising  in  the  centre  of  the  flower,  in  which 
are  planted  a  number  of  large  seeds,  the  "^  pins ' 
of  Wampapin.  These  huge  golden  cups  are 
poised  on  their  stems,  and  wave  in  the  breeze 
above  ofreat  wheel-like  leaves,  while  the  innu- 
merable  white  lilies  flU  in  the  spaces  between, 
and   enrich  the  air  with  their  perfume. 

"  Slowly  we  crept  through  the  tangled  paths 
until  we  were  be3'ond  the  sight  of  shore,  in 
the  perfect  silence  of  this  vast  ruined  temple, 
on  every  side  the  endless  obelisks  of  the  de- 
ca3'ing  cypress,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see  were  ranged  the  numberless  nodding  bells 
of  the  yellow  lilies,  and  the  still-eyed  white 
stars  below  them.  While  we  waited  in  the 
coming  evening,  the  silence  was  so  deep,  the 
whir  of  a  bald  eagle's  wings,  as  he  swept 
through    the    air,  was  audible    from   afar.      The 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 35 

lonely  creature  sat  on  the  peak  of  one  of  the 
wooden  towers  over  our  boat,  and  looked  curi- 
ously down  upon  us.  The  waters  seemed  full 
of  lish,  and,  indeed,  the  lake  has  much  celebrity 
as  a  place  for  such  game.  We  could  see  them 
creeping  through  the  mazes  of  the  water-forest, 
in  a  slow,  blind  way,  not  a  bit  like  the  dance  of 
the  northern  creatures  of  the  active  waters  of  our 
mountain  streams. 

"There  is  something  of  forgetfulness  in  such 
a  scene,  a  sense  of  a  world  far  awa}^,  with  no  path 
back  to  it.  One  might  fall  to  eating  our  Wam- 
papin  lily,  as  did  the  Chlckasaws  of  old,  and  find 
in  it  the  all-forgetting  lotus,  for  it  is,  indeed,  the 
brother  of  the  lotus  of  the  Nile.  We  do  not 
know  how  far  these  forgotten  savages  found  the 
mystic  influence  of  the  Nilotic  lotus  in  these 
queenly  flowers  of  the  swamps,  but  tradition  says 
that  they  ate  not  only  the  seeds,  but  the  bulbous 
roots,  which  the  natives  aver  are  quite  edible. 
So  we,  too,  can  claim  a  lotus-eating  race,  and  arc 
even  able  to  try  the  soul-subduing  powers  of  the 
plant  at  our  will. 

"  There  is  something  in  the  weight  of  life  and 
death  in  these  swamps  that  subdues  the  mind, 
and  makes  the  steps  we  take  fall  as  in  a  dream. 
It  was  not  easy  to  fix  a  basis  for  memory  with  the 
pencil,  and  recollection  shapes  a  vast  sensation 
of  strangeness,  a  feeling  as  if  one  had  trod  for  a 
moment  beyond  the  brink  of  time,  rather  than 
any  distinct  images." 


136  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

At  sunset  I  came  upon  Joe  EckeFs  Bar,  —  not 
the  fluvial  establishment  so  much  resorted  to  by 
people  ashore,  —  but  a  genuine  Mississippi  sand- 
bar, or  shoal,  which  was  covered  with  two  feet 
of  water,  and  aftbrded  lodgment  for  a  heavy  raft 
of  trees  that  had  floated  upon  it.  The  island  was 
also  partly  submerged,  but  I  found  a  cove  with  a 
sand}^  beach  on  its  lower  end;  and  running  into 
the  little  bay,  I  staked  the  boat  in  one  foot  of 
water,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  flocks  of  w^ild- 
fowl  which  circled  about  me  at  intervals  all  night. 
The  current  had  been  turbid,  during  the  day,  and 
to  supply  myself  with  drinking-water  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  fill  a  can  from  the  river  and  wait  for 
the  sediment  to  precipitate  itself  before  it  was  fit 
for  use.  Fiftj'-six  miles  w^ere  logged  for  the  day's 
row. 

In  the  morning  Joe  EckeFs  Bar  was  alive  with 
geese  and  ducks,  cackling  a  lusty  farewell  as 
I  pushed  through  the  drift  stufl'  and  resumed  my 
voyage  down  the  swelling  river. 

The  reaches  were  usually  five  miles  in  length, 
though  some  of  them  were  very  much  longer. 
Sometimes  deposits  of  sand  and  vegetable  matter 
will  build  up  a  small  island  adjacent  to  a  large 
one,  and  then  a  dense  thicket  of  cotton-wood 
brush  takes  possession  of  it,  and  assists  materi- 
ally in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the  cur- 
rent. These  little,  low  islands,  covered  with 
thickets,  are  called  tow-heads,  and  the  maps  of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I37 

the  Engineer  Corps  of  the  United  States  distin- 
guish them  from  the  originally  numbered  is- 
lands in  the  following  manner:  ^'Island  No.  18,'' 
and  "Tow  Head  of  Island  No.  18.^' 

In  addition  to  the  numbered  islands,  which 
commence  with  Island  No.  1,  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio,  and  end  with  Island  No.  125,  above 
the  inlet  to  Bayou  La  Fourche,  in  Louisiana,  there 
are  many  which  have  been  named  after  their 
owners.  During  one  generation  a  planter  may 
live  upon  a  peninsula  comprising  many  thousand 
acres,  with  his  cotton-fields  and  houses  fronting 
on  the  Mississippi.  The  treacherous  current 
of  this  river  may  suddenly  cut  a  new  way  across 
his  estate  inland  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  from 
his  home.  As  the  gradual  change  goes  on,  he 
looks  from  the  windows  of  his  house  upon  a  new 
scene.  He  no  longer  has  the  rapid  flowing  river, 
enlivened  b}'  the  passage  of  steamboats  and  other 
craft;  but  before  him  is  a  sombre  bayou,  or  cres- 
cent-shaped lake,  whose  muddy  waters  are  al- 
most motionless.  He  was  the  proprietor  of 
Needham's  Point,  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
Needham's  Island^  and  lives  in  the  quiet  atmos- 
phere of  the  backwoods  of  Tennessee. 

This  day's  row  carried  me  past  heavily-wooded 
shores,  cotton-fields  with  some  of  the  cotton  still 
unpicked;  past  the  limits  of  Missouri  on  the  left 
side,  and  into  the  wild  state  of  Arkansas  at 
Island   No.    21.       I    finally    camped    on    Island 


138  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

No.  26,  in  a  half  submerged  thicket,  after  a  row 
of  fifty-eight  miles. 

As  there  were  many  flat  and  shanty  boats 
floating  southward,  I  adopted  a  plan  by  means 
of  which  my  dinners  were  frequently  cooked 
with  little  trouble  to  myself  or  others.  About 
an  hour  before  noon  I  gazed  about  within  the 
narrow  horizon  for  one  of  those  floating  habita- 
tions, and  rowing  alongside,  engaged  in  conver- 
sation with  its  occupants.  The  men  would  tell 
what  success  they  had  had  in  collecting  the  skins 
of  wild  animals  (though  silent  upon  the  subject 
of  pig-stealing),  while  the  women  would  talk 
of  the  homes  they  had  left,  and  sigh  for  the  re- 
tinements  and  comforts  of  "  city  life,"  by  which 
they  meant  their  former  existence  in  some  small 
town  on  the  upper  river.  While  we  were  ex- 
chanffinor  our  budgets  of  information  I  would 
obtain  the  consent  of  the  presiding  goddess  of 
the  boat  to  stew  my  ambrosia  upon  her  stove, 
the  sneak-box  floating  the  while  alongside  its 
tub-like  companion.  Many  a  half  hour  was  spent 
in  this  way;  and,  besides  the  comfort  of  a  hot 
dinner,  there  were  advantages  aftbrded  for  the 
study  of  characters  not  to  be  found  elsewhere. 

These  peculiar  boats,  so  often  encountered, 
found  refuge  in  the  frequent  cut-ofls  behind  the 
many  islands  of  the  river;  for  besides  those 
islands  which  have  been  numbered,  new  ones 
are   forming    every   year.     At   times,  when  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 39 

water  is  very  high,  the  current  will  cut  a  new 
route  across  the  low  isthmus,  or  neck,  of  a  penin- 
sula, around  which  sweeps  a  long  reach  of  the 
main  channel,  leaving  the  tortuous  bend  which 
it  has  deserted  to  be  gradually  filled  up  with 
snags,  deposits  of  alluvium,  and  finally  to  be  car- 
peted with  a  vegetable  growth.  In  some  cases,  as 
the  stream  works  away  to  the  eastward  or  west- 
ward, it  remains  an  inland  crescent-shaped  lake, 
numbers  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  wilder- 
ness many  miles  from  the  parent  stream.  I  have 
known  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi  to  be  short- 
ened twenty  miles  during  a  freshet,  and  a  steam- 
boat which  had  followed  the  great  ox-bow  bend 
in  ascending  the  river,  on  its  return  trip  shot 
through  the  new  cut-off  of  a  few  hundred  feet  in 
length,  upon  fifteen  feet  of  w^ater  where  a  fort- 
night before  a  forest  had  been  growing. 

The  area  of  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi subjected  to  annual  overflow,  like  the 
country  surrounding  the  Nile,  in  Egypt,  is  very 
large.  There  are  localities  thirty  or  forty  miles 
away  from  the  river  where  the  height  of  the  over- 
flow of  the  previous  year  is  plainly  registered 
upon  the  trunks  of  the  trees  by  a  coating  of  yel- 
low mud,  which  sometimes  reaches  as  high  as  a 
man's  head.  This  great  region  possesses  vast 
tracts  of  rich  land,  as  well  as  millions  of  acres  of 
low  swamps  and  bayou  bottoms. 

The  traveller,  the   hunter,  the  zoologist,  and 


140  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

the  botanist  can  all  find  here  in  these  rich  river 
bottoms  a  ready  reward  for  an}'  inconveniences 
experienced  on  the  route.  Strange  types  of  half- 
civilized  whites,  game  enough  to  satisfy  the  most 
rapacious,  beast  and  bird  of  peculiar  species,  and 
over  all  the  immense  forests  of  cypress,  sweet- 
gums,  Spanish-oaks,  tulip-trees,  sycamores,  cot- 
ton-woods, white-oaks,  &c.,  while  the  most  deli- 
cate wild-flowers  "  waste  their  sweetness  on  the 
desert  air."  Across  all  this  natural  beauty  the 
whisper  of  desolation  casts  a  cloud,  for  here  dur- 
ing most  of  the  year  arises  the  health-destroying 

malaria. 

Upon  the  high  lands  the  squatter  builds  his 
log  cabin,  and  makes  his  clearing  where  the  rich 
soil  and  warm  sun  assist  his  rude  agricultural 
labors,  and  he  is  rewarded  with  a  large  crop  of 
maize  and  sweet  potatoes.  These,  with  bacon 
from  his  herd  of  wandering  pigs,  give  sustenance 
to  his  family  of  children,  who,  hatless  and  bon- 
netless,  roam  through  the  woods  until  the  sun 
bleaches  their  hair  to  the  color  of  flax.  With 
tobacco,  whiskey,  and  ammunition  for  himself, 
and  an  ample  supply  of  snufl'  for  his  wife,  he 
drag-s  out  an  indolent  existence:  but  he  is  the 
pioneer  of  American  civilization,  and  as  he  mi- 
grates every  few  years  to  a  more  western  wilder- 
ness, his  lands  are  frequently  occupied  by  a  more 
intelligent  and  industrious  class,  and  his  improve- 
ments   are    improved  upon.       The  •  new-comer, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I41 

with  greater  ambition  and  more  ample  means, 
raises  cotton  instead  ot'  corn,  and  depends  upon 
the  Ohio  valley  for  a  supply  of  that  cereal. 

Wednesday,  January  5th,  was  a  sunny  and 
windy  day.  The  Arkansas  shores  afforded  me 
a  protection  from  the  Avind  as  I  rowed  down 
towards  Fort  Pillow,  which,  according  to  the 
map  of  the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  is 
situated  upon  Chickasaw  Bluff  No.  1,  though 
some  writers  and  map-makers  designate  the  Co- 
lumbus Bluff,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio, 
as  the  lirst  Chickasaw  Bluff.  The  site  of  Fort 
Pillow  is  about  thirty  feet  above  the  water.  It 
commands  the  low  country  opposite,  and  two 
reaches  of  the  river  for  a  lon^  distance.  A  little 
below  the  fort,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
was  an  extensive  cotton-tield,  still  white  with 
the  flossy  cellulose.  Here  I  landed  under  the 
shadv  trees,  and  gathered  cotton,  the  result  of 
peaceful  labor.  Truh'  had  the  sword  been  beaten 
into  the  ploughshare,  and  the  spear  into  a  pruning- 
hook,  for  above  mc  frowned  down  Fort  Pillow, 
the  scene  of  the  terrible  negro  massacre  in  our 
late  war.  Now  the  same  sun  shone  so  brightl}' 
upon  the  graves  scattered  here  and  there,  and 
warmed  into  life  the  harvest  sown  in  peace. 

At  intervals  I  caught  glimpses  of  negro  cabins, 
with  their  clearings,  and  their  little  crops  of  cot- 
ton glistening  in  the  sun.  The  island  tow-heads 
and  sand-bars  were  numerous,  and  in  places  the 


142  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Mississippi  broadened  into  lake-like  areas,  while 
the  yellow  current,  now  heavily  charged  with 
mud,  arose  in  height  ever}^  hour.  The  climate 
was  growing  delightful.  It  w^as  like  a  June  day 
in  the  northern  states.  Each  soft  breeze  of  the 
balmy  atmosphere  seemed  to  say,  as  I  felt  it3 
strange,  fascinating  influence,  "  You  are  nearing 
the  oroal!"  The  shadows  of  the  twilio'ht  found 
me  safel}^  ensconced  behind  the  lower  end  of 
Island  No.  33,  where  in  the  bayou  between  it 
and  the  Tennessee  shore  I  lazily  watched  fair 
Luna  softly  emerging  from  the  clouds,  and  lend- 
ing to  the  grand  old  woods  her  tender  light. 

I  proceeded  southward  the  next  day,  rowing 
comfortably  after  having  divested  myself  of  all 
superfluous  apparel.  The  negroes,  on  their  one- 
horse  plantations,  gave  a  hearty  hail  as  I  passed, 
but  I  noted  here  a  feature  I  had  remarked  when 
upon  my  "  Voyage  of  the  Paper  Canoe,"  on  the 
eastern  coast.  It  was  the  silence  in  which  these 
people  worked.  The  merry  song  of  the  darky 
was  no  longer  heard  as  in  the  "  auld  lang  syne." 
Then  he  was  the  slave  of  a  white  master.  Now 
he  is  the  slave  of  responsibilities  and  cares  which 
press  heavily  upon  his  heretofore  unthinking 
nature.  To-day  he  has  a  future  if  he  can 
make  it. 

During  the  day,  a  lone  woman  on  a  shanty- 
boat,  which  was  securely  fastened  to  an  old 
stump,  volunteered   much  information   in  regard 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 43 

to  "  her  man,"  and  the  money  he  expected  to 
receive  for  the  skins  he  had  been  collectino-  dur- 
ing  the  winter.  She  said  he  would  get  in  New 
Orleans  thirty-five  cents  apiece  for  his  coon- 
skins,  one  dollar  for  minks,  and  one  dollar  and  a 
half  each  for  beaver  and  otter  skins.  She  in- 
formed me  that  the  sunken  country  below  Mem- 
phis, on  the  Arkansas  side,  was  full  of  deer  and 
bears. 

By  rowing  briskly  I  was  able  to  pass  Memphis, 
the  principal  river  port  of  Tennessee,  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  This  flourishing  city 
is  situated  upon  one  of  the  Chickasaw  bluffs, 
thirt}'  feet  above  the  river.  At  the  base  of  the 
bluff  a  bed  of  sandstone  projects  into  the  water, 
it  being  the  only  known  stratum  of  rock  along 
the  river  between  Cairo  and  the  Gulf.  From  the 
Ohio  River  to  Vicksburg,  a  distance  of  six  hun- 
dred miles,  it  is  asserted  that  there  is  no  other 
site  for  a  commercial  city:  so  Memphis,  though 
isolated,  enjoys  this  advantage,  which  has,  in  fact, 
made  her  the  busy  cotton-shipping  port  she  is 
to-day.  Her  population  is  about  forty  thousand. 
As  Memphis  is  connected  by  railroads  with  the 
towns  and  villages  of  all  the  back  country,  in 
addition  to  her  water  advantages,  she  may  be 
called  the  business  centre  of  an  immense  area 
of  cultivated  land.  The  view  of  the  city  from 
the  river  is  striking.  Her  esplanade,*  several 
hundred  feet  in  width,  sweeps  along  the  bluff, 
and  is  covered  with  large  warehouses. 


144  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Pushing  steadil}'  southward,  I  looked  out  anx- 
iously for  a  good  camping-ground  for  the  night, 
feeling  that  a  rest  had  been  well  earned,  for  I 
had  rowed  sixty-one  miles  that  day.  Soon  after 
passing  Horn  Lake  Bend,  the  thickets  of  Crow 
Island  attracted  my  attention,  for  along  the  mudd}', 
crumbling  bank  the  mast  of  a  little  sloop  arose 
from  the  water,  and  a  few  feet  inland  the  bright 
blaze  of  a  camp-fire  shone  through  the  mists  of 
evening.  A  cheery  hail  of,  "  I  sa}',  stranger,  pull 
in,  and  tie  up  here,''  came  from  a  group  of  three 
roughly-clad  men,  who  were  bending  over  the 
coals,  bysily  engaged  in  frying  salt  pork  and  pota- 
toes. The  swift  current  forced  me  into  an  edd}' 
close  to  the  camp.  One  of  the  men  caught  my 
painter,  and  drew  me  close  under  the  lee  of 
their  roughly  constructed  sloop  of  about  two 
tons'  burden.  When  seated  by  the  bright  fire, 
"  the  bo3's  "  told  me  their  history.  They  were 
out  of  work;  so,  investing  sixty  dollars  in  an  old 
, sloop,  putting  on  board  a  barrel  of  pork,  a  barrel 
of  flour,  some  potatoes,  cofl:ee,  salt,  and  molasses, 
(which  cargo  was  to  last  three  months,)  the}' 
started  to  cut  canes  in  the  canebrakes  of  White 
River,  Arkansas.  These  canes  were  to  be  util- 
ized as  fi.shing-poles,  and  being  carefully  assorted 
and  fastened  into  bundles,  were  to  be  shipped  to 
Cincinnati  by  steamer,  and  from  there  by  rail  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  Mr.  Farrar,  their  con- 
signee,  would   dispose    of  them    for  the   party. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 45 

The}^  had  come  down  the  Mississippi  from  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  having  left  that  place  December  13th, 
and  had  experienced  various  delays,  having  sev- 
eral times  been  frozen  up  in  creeks.  They  would 
be  able  to  cut,  during  the  w^inter,  twentj'-five 
thousand  fishing-rods,  enough,  one  w^ould  think, 
to  clear  the  streams  of  all  the  finny  tribe.  Mr. 
E.  C.  Stirling,  of  Painesville,  Ohio,  was  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  party,  and  I  found  him  an  unusually 
intelligent  3'oung  man.  He  had  passed  the  pre- 
vious winter  alone  upon  White  River  in  an  ex- 
perimental sort  of  way,  and  had  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  finest  lot  of  fishing-rods  that  had 
ever  been  sent  north. 

There  was  so  much  to  be  talked  about,  and 
so  many  experiences  in  voyaging  to  be  ex- 
changed, that  we  decided  to  remain  that  night 
on  Crow  Island,  as  there  was  not  much  risk  of 
my  being  deluged  by  the  passing  steamers,  for 
it  was  evident  that  the  steamboat  channel  hugged 
the  bank  of  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  I 
took  ashore  chocolate,  canned  milk,  white  sugar, 
and  some  of  the  Hickman  mince-pies,  while  the 
boys  rolled  logs  of  wood  on  to  the  fire,  and  buried 
potatoes  in  the  hot  ashes.  Stirling  went  to  work 
at  bread-making,  and  putting  his  dough  in  one  of 
those  fiat-bottomed,  three-legged,  iron-covered 
vessels,  w^iich  my  reader  will  now  recognize  as 
the  bake-pan,  or  Dutch  oven,  placed  it  on  the 
coals,  and  loaded  its  cover  with  hot  embers.  The 
10 


146  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

potatoes  were  soon  baked,  and  possessed  a  meal- 
iness not  usually  found  in  those  served  up  by  the 
family  cook.  Stirling's  bread  was  a  success, 
and  my  chocolate  disappeared  down  the  throats 
of  the  hearty  western  boys  as  fast  as  its  scalding 
temperature  would  admit. 

Stirling  told  me  of  his  life  during  the  previous 
winter  in  the  swamps  of  White  River.  On  one 
occasion,  a  steamer  having  lost  her  anchor  near 
his  locality,  the  captain  of  the  boat  offered  to  re- 
ward Stirling  liberally  if  he  would  recover  the 
lost  property;  so,  while  the  captain  was  making 
his  up-river  trip,  the  Ohio  boy  worked  industri- 
ously dredging  for  the  cable.  He  found  it;  and 
under-running  the  heavy  rope,  raised  it  and  the 
anchor.  When  the  steamer  returned  to  Bete- 
ley's  Landing,  Stirling  delivered  the  anchor  and 
coil  of  rope  to  the  captain,  who,  intending  to 
defraud  the  young  man  of  the  promised  reward, 
ordered  the  mate  to  "cast  off  the  lines."  The 
gong  had  signalled  the  engineer  to  get  un- 
der wa}^,  but  not  quick  enough  to  escape  the 
young  salvage-owner,  who  grasped  the  coil  of 
rope  and  dragged  it  ashore,  shouting  to  the 
captain,  "  You  may  keep  your  anchor,  but  I 
will  keep  your  cable  as  salvage,  to  which  I  am 
entitled  for  my  trouble  in  saving  your  property." 

A  few  days  later,  Stirling,  wnshing  to  know 
whether  he  could  legally  hold  his  salvage  fees, 
paddled  down  to  Bolivia,  a  small  town   in    the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  I47 

State  of  Mississippi,  to  obtain  legal  advice  in  re- 
gard to  the  matter.  The  white  people  referred 
him  to  a  negro  justice  of  the  peace,  whom  they 
assured  him  "  had  more  law-larnin'  than  any 
white  man  in  the  dis^orincTs,  and  is  the  honestest 
nigger  in  these  parts."  Being  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  a  dignified  negro,  the  cutter  of  fish- 
ing-poles informed  the  "justice''  that  he  desired 
legal   advice   in  a  case   of  salvage. 

"Dat's  rite,  dat 's  berry  good,  sah,"  said  the 
negro;  "now  you  jes'  set  rite  down  he'ar,  and 
macadimize  de  case  to  me.  I  gibs  ebery  man 
justice  —  no  turnin'  to  de  rite  or  de  leff  hand." 

Stirling  stated  the  facts,  the  colored  justice 
puckering  up  his  shiny  brow,  and  his  whole 
countenance  expressing  perplexity.  "  I  want  to 
know,"  said  the  possessor  of  the  cable,  "whether 
I  can  legally  hold  on  to  the  coil  of  rope;  use 
it  or  sell  it  for  my  own  benefit,  without  being 
sued  by  the  captain,  who  broke  his  agreement 
with   me." 

The  colored  man  attempted  to  consult  a  vol- 
ume containing  a  digest  of  laws;  but  being  an 
inditferent  reader,  he  handed  it  to  Stirling,  say- 
ing, "Now  you,  sah,  jes  look  froo  de  book  and 
find  de  larnin'  on  de  case."  Having  carefully 
consulted  the  book,  Stirling  declared  he  found 
nothing  that  covered  the  salvage  question  in 
regard  to  cables  and  anchors.  "  Nutfin  at  all? 
nuffin     at    all?"    asked    the    justice,    seriously. 


148  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

"  Now  let  me  rest  de  case  a  moment  fur  per- 
spection."  As  he  pondered  on  a  case  which 
could  not  be  decided  by  precedent,  an  idea 
seemed  to  lighten  his  sable  features,  for  he 
straightened  himself  up  and  exclaimed,  "  Den  I 
will  gib  you  an  opinion.  Dis  court  will  apply 
de  common  law  ob  de  state  ob  Mississippi;  and 
dis  is  it:  '  W/iat  yoit  hab,  dat  you  keep  I  ^  Dis 
is  de  teachings  ob  de  bar,  de  bench,  and  de 
code." 

Having  received  this  august  opinion,  Stirling 
paddled  back  in  his  dug-out  canoe  to  the 
swamps  of  Arkansas,  much  amused,  it  not  im- 
pressed, with  the  negro's  simple  method  of  suc- 
cessfull}'  disposing  of  a  case,  so  unlike  the  usual 
procrastinating  customs  which  fetter  the  courts 
presided  over  by  learned  white   men. 

Early  on  the  following  day  I  left  the  camp 
of  the  Ohio  boys,  for  their  progress  was  assisted 
by  a  large  sail,  and  it  would  have  been  impos- 
sible for  me  to  have  kept  up  with  them.  They 
also  travelled  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  keep- 
ing one  man  at  the  helm  while  the  others  slept. 
At  the  lower  end  of  Crow  Island  I  left  the 
state  of  Tennessee  and  entered  the  confines  of 
Mississippi,  having  Arkansas  still  on  my  right 
hand. 

During  part  of  the  afternoon  I  accompanied 
a  flatboat-man  and  his  family  as  far  as  Island 
No.  GO,  where  we   ran   into   a   little   bayou    for 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 49 

the  night.  There  was  a  rowdy  settlement  here, 
and  many  rough  fellows  were  in  the  streets, 
shouting  and  lighting;  but  as  I  entered  the 
bayou  after  dark,  and  secreted  myself  in  the 
half  submerged  swamp,  no  one  knew  of  my 
beinof  there:  so  I  felt  safe  from  insult.  The 
owner  of  the  flatboat  with  whom  I  had  entered 
the  bayou  intended  to  tish  for  the  settlement. 
He  was  an  old  trapper,  and  informed  me  that 
bears  were  still  abundant  in  parts  of  Alabama. 
He  said  the  Canada  Goose  bred  in  small  num- 
bers in  the  lakes  of  the  back  country.  His 
experiences  with  human  nature  found  expres- 
sion in  his  advice  to  me  when  I  parted  from 
him  the  next  morning.  "  Don't  leave  your  boat 
alone  for  half  an  hour  in  these  parts,  stranger. 
Nisforers  is  bad,  and  some  white  folks  too." 
Promising  my  new  friend  to  look  out  for  number 
one,  I  waved  an  adieu  to  him  and  his,  and  went 
on  my  solitary  way. 


150  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

DESCENT   OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI  TO  NEW  ORLEANS. 

A  FLATBOAT  BOUND  FOR  TEXAS.  —  A  FLAT-JMAN  OX  RIVER  PHYS- 
ICS. —  ADRIFT  AND  ASLEEP.  —  SEEING  THE  EARTH'S  LITTLE 
MOON.  —  VICKSBURGH.  —  JEFFERSON  DAVIS'S  COTTON  PLANTA- 
TION, AND  ITS  NEGRO  OWNER.  —  DYING  IN  HIS  BOAT.  —  HOW 
TO  CIVILIZE  CHINESE. —  A  SWIM  OF  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWEN- 
TY MILES  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPL  —  TWENTV-FOUR  HOURS  IN  THE 
WATER.  —  ARRIVAL   IN   THE   CRESCENT   CITY. 

DURING  the  afternoon,  while  rowing  out 
of  the  cut-off  behind  an  island,  I  caught 
sight  of  a  flatboat  floating  in  the  contour  of  a 
distant  bend.  There  was  something  familiar  in 
her  appearance,  and,  as  I  drew  nearer,  I  recog- 
nized the  pile  of  nets,  the  rusty  stove,  and  the 
civil  but  silent  crew.  She  was  the  same  flat 
which  had  left  Hickman,  Kentucky,  the  morn- 
ing I  had  departed  from  that  town  with  my 
basket  of  pies.  This  time  the  crew  seemed 
like  old  friends.  River  life  makes  all  men 
equal.  A  pleasant  hail  now  greeted  me,  and 
the  duck-boat  was  soon  moored  to  the  side  of 
the  flat.  As  we  floated  along  with  the  current, 
sipping  our  coftee,  the  captain  told  me  his  his- 
tory.    The  war  had  reduced  him  from  affluence 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  151 

to  poverty,  and  in  order  to  support  his  family, 
he  had  built  a  scow  and  penetrated  the  weird 
waters  of  Reelfoot  Lake,  from  which  he  was 
able,  for  several  years,  to  supply  the  citizens  of 
Hickman  with  excellent  fish.  The  enterprise 
was  a  novelty  at  that  time,  and  there  being  no 
competition,  he  made  four  thousand  dollars  the 
first  3'ear.  After  that  others  went  into  the  busi- 
ness, and  it  became  profitless.  His  mind  was 
now  bent  upon  a  new  field.  Hearing  that  the 
people  of  northern  Texas  were  destitute  of  a 
regular  fish-market,  he  had  provisioned  his  flat 
for  a  winter's  campaign,  and  intended  floating 
with  his  men  down  to  the  mouth  of  Red  River, 
where  he  would  be  towed  by  a  steamer  through 
the  state  of  Louisiana  to  the  northeastern  end 
of  Texas.  There  entering  Caddo  Lake,  which 
is  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  long,  and  where 
game,  ducks,  and  fish  abound,  he  would  camp 
upon  the  shores  and  set  his  nets.  The  rail- 
roads which  penetrated  that  section  would  af- 
ford means  for  the  rapid  distribution  of  his  fish. 

The  party,  anxious  to  arrive  at  their  scene  of 
action,  floated  night  and  day.  The  society  of  an 
educated  man  was  so  delightful  at  the  time  that 
I  remained  beside  the  flat  all  night.  A  lantern 
was  hung  above  the  bow  of  the  boat  to  show 
the  pilots  of  steamers  our  position.  Whenever 
one  of  these  disturbers  of  our  peace  passed  the 
flat,  I  was  obliged  to  cast  off  and  pull  into  the 


152  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Stream,  as  the  swash  would  ahnost  ingulf  me 
if  I  remained  tied  to  the  side  of  the  large  boat. 
I  could  only  sleep  by  snatches,  for  just  as  I 
would  be  dropping  ofl^  into  the  land  of  Nod, 
the  watch  upon  the  flat  would  call  out,  ■■  Here 
comes  another  steamer,"  which  was  the  signal 
for  me  to  take  to   my  oars. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  but  the  flat  kept 
on  her  way.  I  cooked  my  meals  upon  the 
rusty  stove,  and  we  floated  side  by  side,  con- 
versins:  hour  after  hour.  The  low  banks  of  the 
river  showed  the  presence  of  levees,  or  artificial 
dikes,  built  to  keep  out  the  freshets.  Upon 
these  dikes  the  grass  was  putting  forth  its 
tender  blades,  and  the  willows  were  bursting 
into  leaf  We  passed  White  River  and  the 
Arkansas,  both  of  which  pour  their  waters  out 
of  the  great  wilderness  of  the  state  of  Arkansas. 
Below  the  mouth  of  the  last-named  river  was 
the  town  of  Napoleon,  with  its  deserted  houses, 
the  most  forlorn  aspect  that  had  yet  met 
my  eye.  The  banks  were  caving  into  the  river 
day  b}^  day.  Houses  had  fallen  into  the  cur- 
rent, which  was  undermining  the  town.  Here 
and  there  chimneys  were  standing  in  solitude,  the 
buildinsfs  having  been  torn  down  and  removed 
to  other  localities  to  save  them  from  the  insa- 
tiable maw  of  the  river.  .These  pointed  upward 
like  so  many  warning  cenotaphs  of  the  river's 
treachery,  and  contrasted  strongly  in  the  mind's 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 53 

eye  with  the  many  happy  family  circles  which 
had  once  (gathered  at  their  bases  around  the 
cheerful   hearths. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  flatboat  decided,  as  it  was  Sun- 
day, to  run  into  a  bend  of  the  river  and  tie 
up  for  the  day.  That  night  the  banks  caved 
in  so  frequently  that  I  was  in  danger  of  being 
entombed  in  my  sneak-box;  and  I  rejoiced  when 
morning  came  and  the  dangerous  quarters  were 
left  behind.  My  flatboat  companions  made 
known  to  me  a  curious  feature  of  river  physics 
well  known  to  the  great  floating  population  of 
the  western  streams.  If  you  start  with  a  flat- 
boat  or  raft  of  timber  from  an\-  point  on  the 
Ohio  or  Mississippi  rivers  at  the  moment  a  rise 
in  the  water  takes  place,  and  continue  floating 
night  and  day  without  interruption,  you  will  in 
a  few  da3'S  overrun  the  eflects  of  the  rise,  or 
freshet,  and  get  below  it.  A  little  later  you  will 
discover,  at  some  point  a  few  hundred  miles 
down-stream,  that  the  river  is  just  commencing 
to  swell,  as  the  result  of  the  freshet  upon  which 
you  originally  started. 

During  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  of  January 
II  and  12,  I  was  at  times  with  the  flat,  and  at 
times  miles  away  from  it.  Near  Skipwith  Land- 
ing, Mississippi,  we  passed  large  and  well-cul- 
tivated cotton-plantations,  but  the  river  country 
in  its  vicinity  was  almost  a  wilderness. 


154  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

My  sleep  had  been  much  broken  by  night- 
travelling,  and  about  nine  o'clock  on  Wednes- 
day evening  I  fastened  my  boat  to  the  flat,  and 
determined  to  have  two  or  three  hours  of  re  - 
freshing  slumber.  An  hour's  peaceful  rest  fol- 
lowed, and  then  a  snorting,  screeching  stern- 
w^heel  steamer  crossed  the  river  with  its  tow 
of  barges,  and  demoralized  all  my  surroundings, 
driving  me  against  the  flat,  and  shooting  water 
over  the  deck  of  my  craft.  Only  half  awake,  I 
cast  oft'  from  the  flat,  and  thought  that  I  was 
rowing  down-river  as  usual;  but  I  had  dropped 
back  into  my  nest  just  for  one  moment,  and  was 
in  the  land  of  Nod.  I  felt  in  my  sleep  that  I 
was  floating  down  the  Mississippi.  I  was  con- 
scious that  I  had  left  the  flatboat,  and  that 
steamers,  snags,  and  eddies  must  be  looked  out 
for,  or  disaster  would  come  quickly  upon  me. 

I  knew  I  was  asleep,  and  tried  to  rouse  my- 
self I  seemed  to  be  watching  the  moon,  which 
shone  with  silver  glory  upon  the  glistening 
waters,  and  made  the  dark  forests,  rising  wall- 
like on  the  banks,  even  darker  by  comparison. 
Then  I  seemed  to  enter  the  fields  of  astronomy, 
moving  through  the  atmosphere  still  pulling  at 
my  oars.  My  mental  vision  stretched  across  the 
Atlantic,  and  enveloped  the  old  astronomical 
observatory  of  the  French  city  of  Toulouse. 
It  was  the  hour  of  sunset,  and  the  learned  Di- 
rector Petit  was  at  his  post  carefully  adjusting 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 55 

his  telescope,  eager  with  the  hope  of  identify- 
ing an  undiscovered  meteorite,  the  presence  ol 
which  had  been  suggested  by  certain  disturb- 
ances amons:  the  celestial  bodies.  The  savant 
carefully  pointed  his  instrument  to  the  neigh- 
boring regions  of  the  setting  sun,  when  sud- 
denly I  saw  him  start,  and  heard  him  mutter, 
like  a  philosopher  of  old,  "  Eureka,  I  have  found 
it!  "  Only  a  ray  of  light  had  flashed  across  the 
field  of  his  telescope  as  an  asteroid  shot  into 
the  gloam  of  the  sun.  Its  movements  were  so 
rapid,  its  disappearance  so  sudden,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  another  glimpse  of  the  un- 
known body.  The  god  of  day  had  enveloped 
the  satellite  in  curtains  of  powerful  light,  so  that 
no  eye  but  that  of  its  Creator  could  gaze  again 
that  night  upon  the  little  stranger  which  had 
been   seen  for  the  first  time  by  man. 

The  astronomer  moved  away  from  his  instru- 
ment and  the  wonderful  machiner}^  that  had 
guided  it  in  its  search  for  the  asteroid,  slowly 
mutterino::  '-The  sun  robbed  me  of  a  second 
sight  of  my  discovery,  yet  only  at  this  hour  can 
I  hope  to  get  a  glimpse  of  it.  The  difficulties 
attending  this  observation  are  the  tremendous 
velocity  with  which  it  travels,  its  very  small 
mass,  and  the  rapidity  Avith  which,  at  the  hour 
of  sunset,  it  passes  into  the  shadow  of  the  earth. 
I  will,  however,  calculate  its  orbit,  and  search 
for  it  again;   for  I  have  this  evening  seen  what 


156  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

no  human  e3^e  has  ever  beheld,  I  have  seen  the 
Earth's  Little  Moon."  While  I  watched, 
entranced,  the  astronomer,  aided  by  his  assist- 
ants, labored  over  multitudes  of  figures  hour 
after  hour,  day  after  day;  and  from  these  com- 
putations an  orbit  was  constructed  for  the  Little 
Moon. 

Their  work  was  finished;  and  as  they  left  the 
observatory,  a  shadow,  which  had  thrown  its 
dark  outlines  here  and  there  about  the  pro- 
fessor during  his  investigations,  assuined  the 
proportions  of  a  man;  and  I  saw  for  an  instant 
the  brilliant  French  writer,  Jules  Verne,  while 
a  voice  in  the  musical  language  of  France  fell 
upon  my  ear:  "Ah,  Monsieur,  it  is  true,  then, 
and  we  have  a  second  moon,  which  inust  revolve 
round  our  planet  once  in  three  hours  and  twenty 
minutes,  at  a  distance  of  only  four  thousand  six 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  our  terrestrial 
abiding-place!  " 

Then  the  professor  and  his  figures  faded  out 
of  my  vision;  and  I  seemed  to  be  observing  a 
little  moon  revolving  Avith  lightning  rapidity 
round  the  earth,  while  I  felt  that  I  had,  in  some 
way,  been  sucked  into  its  orbit,  and  was  whirl- 
ing: around  with  it.  Suddenlv,  Avith  a  keen  sense 
of  danger  pervading  my  whole  nervous  system, 
I  awoke.  Yes,  it  was  a  dream!  I  was  in  my 
boat,  gazing  up  into  the  serene  heavens,  where 
the    larger    moon  was    tranquilly  following    her 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  157 

orbit,  while  I  was  being  whirled  round  in  a 
strong  eddy  under  a  high  bank  of  the  river, 
with  the  giant  trees  frowning  down  upon  me 
as  though  rebukino^  a  careless  boatman  for  being 
caught  napping.  And  where  was  the  flat?  I 
ofazed  across  the  wide  river  into  the  quiet  at- 
mosphere  now  full  of  the  bright  light  of  the 
moon,  —  but  no  boat  could  be  seen;  and  from 
the  wild  forest  alone  came  back  an  echo  to 
mv  shouts  of  -'Flatboat,  ahoy!''  For  hours  I 
rowed  in  search  of  my  compagnon  de  voyage. 

As   I   hurried  along  the  reaches  of  the  river, 
every  island  cut-ofl',  every  tow-head,  and  every 
nigger-head,  was  inspected.     I  even  peered  into 
the  mouths  of  dark  bayous,  thinking  the   party 
might  have  tied   up  to  await  my  arrival,  as  the 
larger    and  deeper  craft  floated  faster  than    my 
little  boat.     All   search,  however,  proved   fruit- 
less.    No  Hat  could  be  seen.     My  endeavors  to 
fmd    mv  quondam  friends  had   been  so   absorb- 
ing that   things    above    my  line   of  vision  were 
not  observed,  when   suddenly  the  bright  moon- 
light revealed  to  my  astonished  eyes  a  lofty  city 
apparently  suspended  in   the    heavens.      By  the 
aid  of  a  candle  and  my  map  I   discovered  that 
the    city   and   fortitications    of  Vicksburgh  were 
close    at    hand,  and  that  it  was  four  o'clock  in 
the   morning. 

My  first  view  of  Vicksburgh  was  over  a  long, 
low  point  of  land,  across  the  base  of  which  was 


158  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

excavated,  during  the  investment  of  the  city  by 
United  States  troops  in  the  late  v^ar,  "General 
Grant's  Cut-off."  By  using  this  cut-off,  light- 
drauo-ht  o-unboats  could  ascend  or  descend  the 
river  without  passing  near  the  batteries  of  the 
fortified  city.  This  point,  or  peninsula,  which 
the  Union  forces  held,  is  on  the  Louisiana  shore, 
opposite  Vicksburgh.  A  year  or  two  after  I 
passed  that  interesting  locality,  a  Natchez  news- 
paper, in  describing  the  change  made  in  the 
channel  of  the  Mississippi  River,  said  that  "  St. 
Joseph  and  Rodney  have  been  left  inland; 
Vicksburgh  is  left  on  a  lake;  Delta  will  soon 
be  washed  away;  a  cut-off  has  been  made  at 
Grand  Gulf,  and  by  another  season  Port  Gibson 
and  Claiborne  County  will  have  no   landing." 

Floating  quietly  in  my  little  boat,  and  gazing 
at  the  city  upon  the  heights,  I  thought  of  the 
bloody  scenes  there  enacted,  and  of  the  state- 
ment made  that  "three  hundred  tons  of  lead, 
mostly  bullets,  had  been  collected  in  and  around 
the  town  since  the  close  of  the  war."  This 
lead,  it  has  been  asserted,  would  make  nine 
million  six  hundred  thousand  ounce-balls.  Of 
course,  in  this  statement  there  is  no  mention  of 
the  lead  buried  deep  in  the  earth,  and  that  lost 
in  the  river. 

Entering  a  great  bend,  the  swift  current  swept 
me  so  rapidly  past  Vicksburgh  that  a  few  mo- 
ments later  I  was  among  the   islands  and  tow- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 59 

heads  of  the  river.  At  noon  the  plantation  of  • 
Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  w^as  passed.  It  w^as  situ- 
ated twenty-five  miles  below  Vicksburgh,  and 
prior  to  February,  1867,  was  on  a  long  penin- 
sula with  the  estate  of  Colonel  Joseph  E.  Davis 
and  one  belonging  to  Messrs.  Qiiitman  and 
Farrar.  Then  came  the  overwhelming  river, 
sweeping  across  a  narrow  neck  of  land,  and 
transforming  the  cotton-plantations  into  an  island 
territory.  In  the  old  days  of  slavery,  Colonel 
Joseph  E.  Davis,  brother  of  the  ex-president  of 
the  late  Confederate  States,  had  a  body-servant 
named  Ben  Montgomery.  He  was  the  manager 
of  his  master's  estates  while  a  slave,  and  was 
so  industrious  and  honest  in  all  his  dealino-s, 
and  so  successful  in  business,  that  after  the  war 
he  was  able  to  purchase  his  master's  plantation 
for  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in 
gold. 

While  I  lingered  in  the  Davis  cut-off  to  lunch, 
a  boat-load  of  white  men  passed  me  on  their  way 
to  the  plantation  of  Jefterson  Davis,  which  they 
said  had  also  been  purchased  by  Ben  Montgom- 
ery of  its  former  owner,  who  then  resided  \n 
Memphis.  One  of  the  men  said:  ^- Mr.  Davis 
will  convey  the  property  to  Ben  Montgomery  as 
soon  as  he  makes  one  more  payment,  and  Ben 
told  me  he  was  about  read}''  to  close  the  trans- 
action." 

Montgomery  was  described  as  being  fairly  ed- 


l6o  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ucated,  and  possessing  the  presence  and  address 
of  a  orentleman.  His  neio'hbors  credited  him 
with  being-  "  a  ris^ht  smart  o-ood  nicjorer."  It  is  a 
sino^ular  fact  that  these  laro-e  landed  estates 
should  have  become  the  property  of  the  former 
slave  so  soon  after  the  war.  Ben  jNIontgomery 
died  recently,  leaving  an  example  to  his  col- 
ored brethren  worthy  of  their  imitation. 

From  Davis's  Cut-oft^  I  followed  Big  Black 
Island  Bend  and  Hard  Times  Bend,  past  the  now 
silent  batteries  of  Grand  Gulf,  down  to  the  town 
of  Rodnev.  I  went  ashore  near  the  old  planta- 
tion ol'  an  ex-president  (General  Taylor)  of  the 
United  States,  being  attracted  by  a  lot  of  dry 
drift-wood  which  promised  a  blazing  fire.  While 
cooking  my  rice  and  slowly  developing  an  om- 
elet, I  calculated  upon  the  chances  of  finding  the 
lost  flatboat.  It  was  now  evident  that  she  was 
behind,  not  in  advance  of  me.  It  was  about  four 
o'clock,  and  I  determined  to  await  her  arrival. 
At  half-past  six  o'clock  clouds  had  obscured  the 
sky,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see  across  the  wa- 
ter, but  I  continued  to  watch  and  listen  for  the 
fiat.  The  current  was  strongest  on  my  side  of 
the  river,  and  I  felt  certain  the  boat  would  follow 
it  and  pass  close  to  my  camp.  Her  lantern  and 
blazing  stove-pipe  would  reveal  her  presence. 
Suddenly  a  man  coughed  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  shore,  and  out  of  the  gloom  appeared  the 
dark  outlines  of  the  fisherman's  craft,  but  like  a 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  l6l 

phantom  ship,  it  instantly  disappeared.  It  was 
but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  embark  and  follow 
the  vanishing  flat.  I  soon  overhauled  it,  and 
received  a  warm  welcome  from  its  occupants, 
who  had  supposed  that  after  the  steamer  had 
driven  me  from  them  I  had  sought  refuge  in  a 
creek  to  make  up  my  lost  hours  of  sleep.  We 
floated  side  by  side  all  night,  disturbed  but  once, 
and  then  by  the  powerful  steamer  Robert  Lee, 
which  unceremoniously  threw  about  a  pail  of 
water  over  me,  gratuitously  washing  my  blan- 
kets. 

The  next  day,  January  13,  we  passed  Nat- 
chez, ^Mississippi,  about  four  o'clock  a.  m.  This 
city,  founded  by  D'Iberville  in  1700,  is  geo- 
graphically divided  into  two  parts.  "  Natchez 
on  the  Hiir'  is  situated  on  a  blufl'two  hundred 
feet  above  the  river,  while  "Natchez  under  the 
Hill  "  is  at  the  base  of  the  clifl',  and  from  its 
levee  vessels  sail  for  foreign  as  well  as  for  Amer- 
ican ports.  Its  inland  and  foreign  trade  is  exten- 
sive, though  it  has  a  population  of  only  ten  or 
twelve  thousand.  The  aspect  of  the  countr}' 
was  changing  as  we  approached  New  Orleans. 
Fine  plantations,  protected  by  levees,  now^  lined 
the  river-banks,  while  the  forests  of  dense  green, 
heavily  draped  with  Spanish  moss,  threw  dark 
shadows  on  the  watery  path. 

We  arrived  at   the   mouth   of  the   Red  River 
about  dark,  and   my  companions  were  fortunate 
II 


1 62  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

enough  to  find  a  steamer  at  the  landing,  the  cap- 
tain of  which  promised  to  take  them  in  tow  to 
their  distant  goal.  We  parted  like  old  fi^iends; 
and  as  I  rowed  in  darkness  down  the  Mississippi 
I  heard  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  steamer  which 
was  dragging  my  companions  up  the  current  of 
Red  River  into  the  high  lands  of  Louisiana. 

Up  Red  River,  three  miles  from  its  mouth,  a 
stream  branches  off  to  the  south,  and  empties  into 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  is  the  Atchafalaya 
Bayou.  At  Plaquemine,  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  below  Red  River,  and  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  another  ba3'ou  conducts 
a  portion  of  the  water  from  the  main  stream  into 
Grand  River,  w^hich,  with  other  western  Louis- 
iana watercourses,  empties  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  There  is  a  third  western  outlet  from 
the  parent  stream  at  Donaldsonville,  eighty-one 
miles  above  New  Orleans,  known  as  the  Bayou 
La  Fourche,  which  flows  through  one  of  the 
richest  sugar-producing  sections  of  the  state. 
Dotted  here  and  there  along  the  shores  of  this 
ba3'ou  are  the  picturesque  homes  of  the  planters, 
made  more  attractive  by  the  semi-tropical  vege- 
tation, the  clustering  vines,  blooming  roses,  and 
bright  green  turf,  than  they  could  ever  be  from 
mere  architectural  beauty,  while  their  continu- 
ous course  along  the  shore  gives  the  idea  of  a 
long  and  prosperous  village. 

The   guide-books  of  the  Mississippi  describe 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  163 

the  Bayou  Manchac  as  an  outlet  to  the  Missis- 
sippi on  the  left,  or  east  bank,  below  Baton 
Rouge,  and  the  statement  is  repeatedly  made 
that  steamboats  can  go  through  this  bayou  into  the 
Amite  River,  and  down  that  river  to  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  leaving,  by  this 
route,  the  city  of  New  Orleans  to  the  west.  This 
is,  however,  far  from  the  truth,  as  I  shall  pres- 
ently show,  for  it  had  been  my  intention  to  de- 
scend the  Bayou  Manchac,  and  follow  D'lber- 
ville's  ancient  route  to  the  sea.  I  soon  found 
that  the  accomplishment  of  my  plan  was  impos- 
sible, as  the  dry  bottom  of  the  bayou  was  fifteen 
FEET  ABOVE  the  water  of  the  Mississippi. 

Pursuing  my  solitary  way,  I  rowed  across  the 
Mississippi,  and  skirted  the  shore  in  search  of  a 
camp  where  I  could  sleep  until  the  moon  arose, 
which  would  be  soon  after  midnight.  During 
the  afternoon  I  had  crossed  the  southern  boun- 
dary of  the  state  of  Mississippi,  and  now  the  river 
ran  through  the  state  of  Louisiana  all  the  way  to 
the  sea. 

About  nine  o'clock  I  found  a  little  bayou  in  the 
dark  woods,  and  moored  my  boat  to  a  snag 
which  protruded  its  head  above  the  still  waters 
of  the  tarn.  The  old  trees  that  closely  encircled 
my  nocturnal  quarters  were  fringed  with  the 
inevitable  Spanish  moss,  and  gave  a  most  fune- 
real aspect  to  the  surroundings.  The  mournful 
hootings  of  the   owls  added  to  the  doleful  and 


164  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

weird  character  of  the  place.  1  was,  however, 
too  sleepy  to  "waste  much  sentiment  upon  the 
gloomy  walls  of  my  apartment,  and  was  soon 
lost  to  all  sublunary  things.  These  dark  pockets 
of  the  swamps,  these  earthly  Hades,  are  famous 
resting-places  for  those  who  know  the  untenable 
nature  of  ghosts,  and  who  have  become  the  pos- 
sessors of  healthy  nerves  b}^  avoiding  the  poison- 
ous influences  of  coal-gas  in  furnace -heated 
houses,  the  vitiated  air  of  crowded  rooms,  and 
other  detrimental  effects  of  a  citv  life.  In  such 
a  camp  the  voyager  need  fear  no  intrusion  upon 
his  privacy,  for  the  superstitions  rife  among  men 
will  prevent  even  Paul  Pry  from  penetrating 
such  recesses  during  the  tuee  sma*  hours.  0\ 
course  such  a  camp  would  be  safe  only  during 
the  winter  months,  as  at  other  seasons  the  invidi- 
ous foe,  malaria,  would  inevitably  mark  for  its 
victim  the  man  who  slept  beneath  such  deadly 
shades. 

At  midnight  the  light  of  the  moon  illuminated 
my  dark  quarters,  and  I  stole  noiselessly  out  of 
the  bayou  into  the  river,  rowing  until  sunrise, 
when  the  small  port  of  Bayou  Sara  was  passed. 
It  was  soon  left  in  the  dim  distance,  and  the  little 
white  boat  floated  ten  miles  down  a  nearly  straight 
reach  in  the  river  to  the  frowning  heights  of  Port 
Hudson,  a  place  that  figured  prominently  during 
the  late  war. 

The   country  round   Port   Hudson    is   thickly 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 65 

settled  by  descendants  of  the  old  Acadians,  who 
came  down  the  great  rivers  from  Canada  in  the 
early  days  of  Louisiana's  history.  Entering  the 
mouth  of  the  False  River,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  traveller  will  penetrate  the 
heart  of  an  old  and  interesting  Acadian  settle- 
ment. If  his  mind  be  full  of  poetic  fancies,  and 
his  eyes  in  search  of  Gabriels  and  Evangelines 
as  he  travels  along  this  part  of  the  Mississippi, 
his  ears  will  be  startled  by  the  unmistakable 
Yankee  names  that  are  given  him  as  represent- 
ing the  proprietors  of  the  various  estates  he 
passes.  Here  and  there  the  old  French  names 
appear;  but  in  almost  every  such  instance  its 
possessor  is  a  bachelor,  and  with  him  its  musical 
accents  will  die  away.  Searching  into  the  cause 
of  this  patent  fact,  I  discovered  that  the  Creole 
women,  descendants  of  the  old  Acadians,  appre- 
ciated the  sterling  qualities  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race,  and  found  in  them  their  ideals,  leaving  in 
a  state  of  single  blessedness  the  more  indolent, 
and  perhaps  less  persuasive,  Creole  gentlemen. 
The  results  of  these  marriages  are  the  gradual 
extinction  of  old  family  names;  and  in  the  not 
very  far  future  the  romance  connected  with  these 
people  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  the  trav- 
eller, instead  of  thinking  — 

"  This  is  tlie  little  village  famed  of  yore, 

With  meadows  ricli  in  flocks,  and  plenteous  grain. 
Whose  peasants  knelt  beside  each  vine-clad  door, 
As  the  sweet  Angelus  rose  over  the  plain," 


1 66  FOUR    MONTHS    IN   A    SNEAK-BOX. 

will  be  introduced  to  Mrs.  Hezekiah  Skinner,  and 
partake  of  her  baked  beans. 

My  informant  in  these  matters  was  an  educated 
Creole  gentleman,  and  I  must  have  the  honesty 
to  give  his  remarks  in  regard  to  these  persistent 
"  Yankees,"  who,  he  said,  "  were  always  success- 
ful with  the  fair  maidens,  but  invariably  selected 
those  who  owned  fine  plantations,  having  in  love, 
as  well  as  in  war,  an  eye  to  the  main  chance." 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  ran  the 
sneak-box  on  to  the  sloping  levee  of  Baton  Rouge, 
the  capital  of  Louisiana;  and,  locking  the  hatch, 
went  to  the  post-office  for  letters,  and  to  the 
stores  for  provisions.  Returning  to  the  levee,  I 
found  a  good-natured  crowd  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  my  boat,  and  at  once  availed  myself  of  the 
local  information  in  regard  to  the  chances  of  a 
passage  through  Bayou  Manchac,  which  was 
only  fifteen  miles  below  the  town.  Each  told  a 
ditierent  story.  One  gentleman  said,  "You  will 
have  to  get  four  niggers  to. lift  your  boat  over  the 
levee  of  Mr.  Walker's  plantation,  and  put  it  into 
Bayou  Manchac,  which  is  about  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Its 
mouth  was  filled  up  a  long  time  ago,  but  when 
once  in  the  bayou  you  can  float  down  to  the 
Amite  River,  and  so  on  to  the  Gulf"  Another 
voice  contradicted  this  statement,  exclaiming, 
"  Why,  the  bayou  is  dried  up  for  a  distance  of  at 
least  eight  miles  from  its  head."     At  this  point  a 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 67 

well-dressed  gentleman  advanced,  and  quietly 
said:  "I  live  on  the  Bayou  Manchac,  and  can  as- 
sure you  that  after  you  have  hauled  your  boat 
through  the  Woodstock  Plantation  of  the  Walker 
family,  you  will  find  water  enough  in  the  bayou 
to  float  down  upon  to  the  Amite  River." 

The  crowd  now  became  fully  alive  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  geography  of  their  locality.  Each 
man  who  favored  me  with  an  opinion  on  the 
Manchac  question  contradicted  his  neighbor; 
which  was  only  a  renewal  of  old  experiences, 
for  I  always  found  local  knowledge  of  geogra- 
phy and  distances  of  little  value.  As  the  debate 
ran  high,  I  thought  of  D'Iberville,  who  had  thor- 
oughly explored  the  short  ba3^ou  several  genera- 
tions before,  and  who  might  now  have  enlightened 
these  people  in  regard  to  a  stream  that  ran 
through  their  own  lands.  D'Iberville  was,  how- 
ever, born  in  Canada,  and  probably  had  more 
time  to  look  into  such  matters,  or  he  would  not 
have  travelled  several  thousand  miles  to  explore 
Louisiana. 

I  thanked  the  company  for  their  interest  in 
the  discussion,  which,  like  the  questions  before 
a  debating  society,  had  ended  only  in  opin- 
ions. I  promised  to  let  them  know  the  truth 
of  the  matter  if  I  visited  Baton  Roue^e  a"-ain, 
and  pushing  out  into  the  current,  pulled  to- 
wards Woodstock  Plantation,  where  I  arrived 
soon  after  dark;  but  fearing  to  land  on   account 


1 68  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

of  the  dogs,  whose  reception  of  a  stranger  in  the 
dark  was,  to  say  the  least,  unceremonious,  I  tied 
up  to  a  high  bank,  and  ""turned  in"  for  the  night. 
Having  left  the  wilderness  and  its  protecting 
creeks  and  islands,  I  was  destined  to  feel  all  the 
annoyances  attending  a  camper  in  a  cultivated 
and  settled  resfion.  The  steamboats  tossed  me 
about  all  night,  so  that  morning  was  indeed  wel- 
come, and  having  refreshed  myself  with  a  dip 
and  a  dejetiner,  I  climbed  the  bank,  and  was  re- 
warded with  the  sight  of  a  noble  mansion,  with 
its  o-ardens  of  bloomino-  roses,  and  lawns  of 
brio-ht  orreen  g-rass.  This  was  the  Woodstock 
Plantation,  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much.  I 
leisurely  approached  the  large  establishment, 
breathing  an  atmosphere  laden  with  the  fragrance 
of  roses  and  orange-blossoms,  which  seemed  to 
grow  sweeter  with  every  step.  Finding  an  old 
negro,  I  sent  my  card  to  his  master,  with  the 
request  for  information  in  regard  to  the  Bayou 
Manchac.  The  young  proprietor  soon  appeared 
with  the  "  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  War,"  27th 
Congress,  3d  session,  page  21.  December  30, 
1842.  This  pamphlet  informed  me  that  the  bayou 
was  filled  up  at  its  mouth  by  order  of  the  govern- 
ment, in  answer  to  a  petition  from  the  planters 
of  the  lower  country  along  the  bayou  and  Amite 
River,  to  prevent  the  overflow  of  their  cane-fields 
during  freshets  in  the  Mississippi  River.  We 
walked  to  a  shallow  depression  near  the  house. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 69 

It  was  dry,  and  carpeted. with  short  grass.  "This," 
said  Mr.  Walker,  "  is  the  Ba3'ou  Manchac  which 
D'Iberville  descended  in  his  boat  after  having 
explored  the  Mississippi  probably  as  far  as  Red 
River.  The  bed  of  the  bayou  is  no-v  fifteen  feet 
above  the  present  stage  of  water  in  the  Missis- 
sippi." A  field-hand  was  then  called,  who  was 
said  to  be  the  best  geographer  in  those  parts, 
Avhite   or  black. 

"  Tell  this  gentleman  what  you  know  of  the 
Bayou  INIanchac,"  said  Mr.  Walker,  addressing 
the  negro. 

"Well,  sah!"  the  darky  replied,  "I  jus  hab 
looked  at  yer  boat.  Four  ob  us  can  lif  him  ober 
de  levee,  an'  put  him  on  de  cart.  Den  wees 
mus  done  cart  him  fourteen  miles  'long  de 
Bayou  Manchac  to  get  to  whar  de  warter  is 
plenty  fur  him  to  float  in.  Dar  is  some  places 
nearer  dan  dat,  'bout  twelve  miles  ofl:',  whar  dar 
is  SOME  warter,  but  de  warter  am  in  little  spots, 
an'  den  you  go  on  furder,  an'  dar  is  no  warter  lur 
de  boat.  Den  all  de  way  dar  is  trees  dat  tails 
across  de  bayou.  Boss,  you  mus  go  all  de  lour- 
teen  miles  to  get  to  de  warter,  sure  sartin." 

Mr.  Walker  informed  me  that  for  fourteen 
miles  down  the  bayou  the  fall  was  six  feet  to  the 
mile.  At  that  distance  from  the  Mississippi,  sloop 
navigation  commenced  at  a  point  called  Hamp- 
ton's Landing,  from  which  it  was  about  six  miles 
to  the  Amite  River.     The  Amite  River  was  nav- 


lyo  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

igated  by  light-draught  vessels  from  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain.  The  region  about  the  Amite  River 
possesses  rich  bottom-lands,  and  many  of  the 
descendants  of  the  original  French  settlers  of 
Louisiana  ow^n  plantations  along  its  banks. 

Mr.  Walker  then  pointed  to  a  long  point  of 
land  some  miles  down  the  river,  upon  which  the 
fertile  fields  of  a  plantation  lay  like  patches  of 
bright  green  velvet  in  the  morning  sun,  and 
said:  "  Below  that  point  a  neighbor  of  mine  found 
one  of  your  northern  boatmen  dying  in  his  boat. 
He  rowed  all  the  way  from  Philadelphia  on  abet, 
and  if  he  had  reached  New  Orleans  would  have 
won  his  five  thousand  dollars,  but  he  died  when 
only  ninety-five  miles  from  the  cit}^  and  w^as 
buried  by  Adonis  Le  Blanc  on  that  plantation." 

I  had  heard  the  story  before.  It  had  been  told 
me  by  the  river  boatmen,  and  the  newspapers  of 
the  country  had  also  repeated  it.  The  common 
version  of  it  was,  that  a  poor  man,  desirous  of 
supporting  his  large  family  of  children,  had  un- 
dertaken to  row  on  a  bet  from  Philadelphia  to 
New  Orleans.  If  successful,  he  was  to  receive 
five  thousand  dollars.  The  kind-hearted  people 
along  the  river  had  shown  much  sympathy  for 
Mr.  John  C.  Cloud  in  his  praiseworthy  attempts 
to  support  his  suffering  family,  and  at  any  time 
during  his  voyage  quite  a  liberal  sum  of  money 
might  have  been  collected  from  these  generous 
men   and  women   to   aid   him  in   his    endeavor. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  171 

There  was,  however,  something  he  preferred  to 
money,  and  with  which  he  was  lavishly  supplied, 
as  we  shall  see  hereafter. 

So  much  for  rumor.  Now  let  us  examine 
facts.  A  short  time  before  Mr.  Cloud's  death, 
two  reporters  of  a  western  paper  attempted  to 
row  to  New  Orleans  in  a  small  boat,  but  met  with 
an  untimely  end,  being  run  down  by  a  steamboat. 
Their  fate  and  Mr.  Cloud's  were  quoted  as  pre- 
cedents to  all  canoeists  and  boatmen,  and  quite  a 
feeling  against  this  healthful  exercise  was  grow- 
ing among  the  people.  Several  editors  of  popu- 
lar newspapers  added  to  the  excitement  by  warn- 
inocs  and  forebodins^s.  Believing  that  some 
imprudence  had  been  the  cause  of  Mr.  Cloud's 
death,  and  forming  my  opinion  of  him  from  the 
fact  of  his  undertaking  such  a  voyage  in  August, 
—  the  season  when  the  swamps  are  full  of  mala- 
ria, —  I  took  the  trouble  to  investigate  the  case, 
and  made  some  discoveries  which  would  have 
startled  the  sympathetic  friends  of  this  unfortu- 
nate man. 

One  of  the  first  thincjs  that  came  to  light  was 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Cloud  was  not  a  married  man. 
His  family  was  a  creation  of  his  imagination, 
and  a  most  successful  means  of  securing  the 
sympathy  and  ready  aid  of  those  he  met  during 
his  voyage,  though  his  daily  progress  shows  that 
neither  sympathy  nor  money  were  what  he  craved, 
but  that  w^HiSKEY  alone  would  "  fill  the  bill." 


172  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Mr.  Cloud  had  once  been  a  sailor  in  the 
United  States  navy,  but  having  retired  from  the 
cruel  sea,  he  became  an  actor  in  such  plays  as 
"  Black-eyed  Susan  "  in  one  of  the  varietv  the- 
atres in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Charles  D.  Jones,  of 
that  city,  who  was  connected  with  theatrical  en- 
terprises, and  knew  INIr.  Cloud  well,  was  one  day 
surprised  by  the  latter  gentleman,  who  declared 
he  had  a  "bright  idea,''  and  only  wanted  a  friend 
to  stand  by  him  to  make  it  a  sure  thing.  He 
proposed  to  row  from  Philadelphia  to  New  Or- 
leans in  a  small  boat.  Mr.  Jones  was  to  act  as 
his  travellinty  a^ent,  o-oinor  on  in  advance,  and 
intbrming  the  people  of  the  coming  of  the  great 
oarsman.  When  Mr.  Cloud  should  arrive  in 
any  populous  river-town,  a  theatrical  perform- 
ance was  to  be  given,  the  boatman  of  course 
to  be  the  "  star."  Mr.  Jones  was  to  furnish  the 
capital  for  all  this,  while  Mr.  Cloud  was  to  share 
with   his  manager  the  profits  of  the  exhibitions. 

A  light  Delaware  River  skiff,  pointed  at  each 
end,  was  purchased,  and  iSIr.  Cloud  left  Phila- 
delphia in  the  month  of  August,  promising  his 
friend  to  arrive  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  in 
twelve  or  fourteen  days.  After  waiting  a  few 
days  to  enable  Mr.  Cloud  to  get  fairly  started 
upon  his  voj'age,  which  was  to  be  made  princi- 
pally by  canals  to  the  Alleghany  River,  the 
Diana srer  went  to  Pittsburgh  with  letters  of  in- 
troduction  to  the  editors  of  that  bus}^  city.     The 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 73 

representatives  of  the  press  kindly  seconded  Mr. 
Jones  in  advertising  the  coming  of  the  great 
oarsman.  Mr.  Cloud  was  expected  to  appear 
in  front  of  Pittsburgh  on  a  certain  day.  A  hall 
was  engaged  for  his  performance  in  the  even- 
ing. An  immense  amount  of  enthusiasm  was 
worked  up  among  the  people  of  the  city  and 
the  neighboring  towns.  Having  done  his  duty 
to  his  colleague,  Mr.  Jones  anxiously  awaited 
the  expected  telegram  from  Cloud,  announcing 
his  approach  to  the  city.  No  word  came  from 
the  oarsman;  and  in  vain  the  manager  tele- 
graphed to  the  various  towns  along  the  route 
through  which  Mr.  Cloud  must  have  passed. 

On  the  day  that  had  been  settled  upon  for  the 
arrival  of  the  boat  before  Pittsburoh,  a  lar<jfe 
concourse  of  visitors  gathered  along  the  river- 
banks.  Even  the  mayor  of  the  city  was  present 
in  his  carriage  among  the  expectant  crowd. 
The  clock  struck  the  hour  of  noon,  but  the 
little  Delaware  skiff  was  nowhere  to  be  seen; 
and,  as  the  sun  declined  from  the  zenith,  the 
people  gradually  dispersed,  muttering,  "Another 
humbug!  " 

At  midnight  Mr.  Jones  retired  in  anything 
but  an  amiable  mood.  His  professional  honor 
had  been  wounded,  and  his  industrious  labors 
lost.  Where  was  Cloud?  Had  the  poor  fel- 
low been  murdered?  What  was  his  fate,  and 
why  did  he  not  come  up  to  time?     Revolving 


174  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

these  questions  in  his  mind,  the  manager  fell 
asleep;  but  he  was  roused  before  live  o'clock  in 
the  morning  by  a  servant  kn'ocking  at  his  door 
to  inform  him  that  his  "j/^r"  was  in  Alleghany 
City,  opposite  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Jones  went  to 
look  up  his  man,  and  found  him  in  a  state  of 
intoxication  in  a  drinking-saloon.  A  hard-look- 
ing set  of  fellows  were  perambulating  the  streets, 
bawling  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  "Arrival  of 
John  C.  Cloud,  the  great  oarsman !  Photographs 
for  sale!   only  twenty-five   cents!" 

When  the  intoxicated  boatman  had  returned 
to  a  conversational  state  of  mind,  he  explained 
that  he  had  actually  rowed  as  far  as .  Harris- 
burgh,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had  been  most 
generously  entertained  at  the  liquor  saloons,  and 
had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  mak'e  the  acquaint- 
ance of  some  "  good  fellows  "  who  had  engaged 
to  travel  in  advance  of  his  boat,  and  sell  his 
photographs,  sharing  with  him  in  the  profits 
of  such  sales.  He  had  made  his  voyage  from 
Harrisburgh  to  Alleghany  City  by  rail,  his  boat 
being  safely  stowed  in  a  car,  and  tenderly 
watched  over  by  the  red-shirted  "  good  fel- 
lows "  who  had  so  generously  taken  him  under 
their  wing.  The  "  great  oarsman  "  had,  in  fact, 
rowed  just  about  one-third  of  the  distance  be- 
tween Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh. 

The  disgusted  manager  left  his  man  in  charge 
of  the  new  managers,  and  going  at  once  to  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 75 

editors,  explained  how  he  had  been  duped,  and 
begged  to  be  "let  down  gently"  before  the  pub- 
lic. These  s^entlemen  not  only  acceded  to  the 
request,  but  even  offered  to  get  up  a  "benefit" 
tor  ]Mr.  Jones,  who  declined  the  honor,  and 
waited  only  long  enough  in  the  city  to  see  Mr. 
Cloud  with  his  boat  and  whiskey  fade  out  of 
sight  down  the  Ohio,  when  he  returned  to  Phil- 
adelphia considerably  lighter  in  pocket,  having 
provided  funds  for  purchasing  the  boat  and  other 
necessaries,  and  full  of  righteous  indignation 
against  Mr.  Cloud  and  his  "  bright  ideaP 

The  little  skiff  went  on  its  way  down  the 
Ohio,  and  was  met  with  enthusiasm  at  each 
landing.  The  citizens  of  Hickman,  Kentucky, 
described  the  voyage  of  Mr.  Cloud  as  one  con- 
tinuous ovation.^  Five  thousand  people  gathered 
alono^  the  banks  below  that  town  to  welcome 
"the  poor  northern  man  who  was  rowing  to 
New  Orleans  on  a  five-thousand-dollar  bet, 
hoping  to  win  his  wager  that  he  might  have 
means  to  support  his  large  family  of  children." 
One  old  gentleman  seemed  to  have  his  doubts 
about  the  truth  of  this  statement,  "  for,"  said  he, 
"when  the  celebrated  oarsman  appeared,  and 
landed,  he  repaired  immediately  to  a  low  drink- 
ing-saloon,  and  announced  that  he  was  the 
greatest  oarsman  in  America,"  &c. 

The  "  boys "  about  the  town  subscribed  a 
fund,  and  invested  it  in  five  gallons  of  whiskey, 


176  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

which  Cloud  took  aboard  his  skitf  when  he 
departed.  He  plainly  stated  that  the  conditions 
of  the  bet  prevented  his  sleeping  under  a  roof 
while  on  his  way;  so  he  curled  himself  up  in 
his  blankets  and  slept  on  the  veranda  floors. 
The  man  must  have  had  great  powers  of  en- 
durance, or  he  could  not  have  rowed  so  long 
in  the  hot  sun  at  that  malarious  season  of  the 
year.  His  chief  sustenance  was  whiskey;  and 
at  one  town,  near  Cairo,  I  was  assured  by  the 
best  authority,  ten  gallons  of  that  fiery  liquor 
were  stowed  away  in  his  skifi'.  Such  disregard 
of  nature's  laws  soon  told  upon  the  plucky  fel- 
low, and  his  vo3'age  came  to  an  end  when  almost 
in  siofht  of  his  oroal.  The  malaria  he  was  breath- 
ing  and  the  whiskey  he  was  drinking  set  fire  to 
his  blood,  and  the  fatal  congestive  chills  were 
the  inevitable  result. 

The  papers  of  New  Orleans  had  announced 
the  approach  of  the  great  oarsman,  and  the 
planters  were  ready  to  give  him  a  cordial  wel- 
come, when  one  day  a  man  who  was  walking 
near  the  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  parish 
of  Iberville,  and  looking  out  upon  the  river, 
saw  a  boat  of  a  peculiar  model  whirling  around 
in  the  eddies.  He  at  once  launched  his  boat 
and  pushed  out  to  the  object  which  had  excited 
his  curiosity.  Stretched  upon  the  bottom  of  the 
strange  craft  was  a  man  dressed  in  the  garb 
of  a   northern   boatman.     At  first  he   appeared 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


177 


to  be  dead;  but  a  careful  examination  showed 
that  life  was  not  yet  extinct.  The  unknown 
man  was  carried  to  the  nearest  plantation,  and 
there,  among  strangers  whose  hearts  beat  kindly 
for  the  unfortunate  boatman,  John  C.  Cloud  ex- 
pired without  uttering  one  word.     The  coroner, 


Dying  in  his   Boat. 


Mr.  Adonis  Le  Blanc,  found  upon  the  person  of 
the  dead  man  a  memorandum-book  which  told 
of  the  distances  made  each  day  upon  the  river, 
while  the  entries  of  the  closing  days  showed 
how  the  keeper  of  the  log  had  suffered  from 
12 


178  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

the  "  heavy  shakes "  occasioned  by  the  malaria 
and  his  own  imprudence.  The  story  of  the 
cruise  was  recorded  on  the  boat.  Men  and 
women  had  written  their  names  inside  the  frail 
shell,  with  the  dates  of  her  arrival  at  different 
localities  along  the  route.  I  afterwards  exam- 
ined the  boat  at  Biloxi,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
where  it  was  kept  as  a  curiosity  in  the  boat- 
house  of  a  citizen  of  New  Orleans. 

They  buried  the  unfortunate  man  upon  the 
plantation,  and  Mr.  Clay  Gourrier  took  charge 
of  his  effects.  The  most  remarkable  thing  about 
this  rowing  match  was  the  credulity  of  the  peo- 
ple along  the  route.  They  accepted  Cloud's 
statement  without  stopping  to  consider  that  if 
there  were  any  truth  in  it,  the  other  side,  with 
their  five  thousand  dollars  at  stake,  would  surely 
take  some  interest  in  the  matter,  and  have  men 
posted  along  the  route  to  see  that  the  bet  was 
fairly  won.  The  fact  that  no  bet  had  been  made 
never  seemed  to  dawn  upon  them;  but,  like  too 
many,  they  sympathized  without  reasoning. 

Being  forced  to  abandon  all  hopes  of  taking 
the  Bayou  Manchac  and  the  interesting  country 
of  the  Acadians  in  my  route  southward,  I  rowed 
down  the  river,  past  the  curious  old  town  of 
Plaquemine,  and  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
commenced  to  search  for  an  island  or  creek 
where  a  good  camping-ground  for  Sunday  might 
be  found.     The  buildings  of  White  Castle  Plan- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 79 

tation  soon  arose  on  the  right  bank,  and  as  I  ap- 
proached the  Httle  cooperage-shop  of  the  large 
'  estate,  which  was  near  the  water,  a  kindly  hail 
came  from  the  master-cooper  and  his  assistant. 
Acceding  to  their  desire  "  to  look  at  the  boat," 
I  let  the  two  men  drag  her  ashore,  and  while 
they  examined  the  craft,  I  studied  the  representa- 
tives of  two  very  different  types  of  laboring-men. 
One  was  from  Madison,  Indiana;  the  other  be- 
longed to  the  poor  white  class  of  the  south. 
We  built  a  tire  near  the  boat,  and  passed  half 
the  nio-ht  in   conversation. 

'  These  men  g-ave  me  much  valuable  informa- 
tion  about  Louisiana.  The  southern  cooper  had 
lived  much  among  the  bayous  and  swamps  of 
that  region  of  the  state  subjected  to  overflow. 
•He  was  an  original  character,  and  never  so 
happy  as  when  living  a  Robinson  Crusoe  life 
in  the  woods.  His  favorite  expression  seemed 
to  be,  "Oh,  shucks!"  and  his  yarns  were  so  in- 
terlarded with  this  exclamation,  that  in  giving 
one  of  his  stories  I  must  ask  the  reader  to 
imagine  that  expressive  utterance  about  every 
other  word.  Affectionately  hugging  his  knee, 
and  generously  expectorating  as  he  made  a 
transfer  -of  his  quid  from  one  side  of  his  mouth 
to  the  other,  he  said  : 

"A  fellow  don't  always  want  company  in  the 
woods.  If  you  have  a  pardner,  he  ort  to  be  jes 
like  yourself,  or  you'll  be  sartin  to  fall  out.     I 


l8o  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

was  riving  out  shingles  and  coopers'  stock  once 
with  a  pardner,  and  times  got  mighty  hard,  so 
we  turned  fishermen.  There  was  some  piles 
standing  in  Plaquemine  Bayou,  and  the  drift 
stutf  collected  round  them  and  made  a  sort  of 
little  island.  Me  and  Bill  Bates  went  to  work 
and  rived  out  some  lengths  of  cypress,  and  built 
a  snug  shanty  on  top  of  the  piles.  As  it  wasn't 
real  estate  we  was  on,  nobody  couldn't  drive  us 
off;   so  we  fished  for  the  Plaquemine  folks. 

"Bv-and-bv  a  kinof--snake  swimmed  over  to  our 
island,  and  tuck  up  his  abode  in  a  hole  in  a  log. 
The  cuss  got  kind  of  aftectionate,  and  after  a 
while  crawled  right  into  our  hut  to  catch  flies 
and  other  varmin.  At  last  he  got  so  tame  he'd 
let  me  scratch  his  back.  Then  he  tuck  to  our 
moss  bed,  and  used  up  a  considerable  portion  of 
his  time  there.  Bill  Bates  hadn't  the  manners  of 
a  hog,  and  he  kept  a-droppin'  hints  to  me,  every 
few  days,  that  he'd  '  drap  into  that  snake  some 
night  and  squeeze  the  life  out  of  him.'  This 
made  me  mad,  and  I  nat'rally  tuck  the  snake's 
part,  particularly  as  he  would  gobble  up  and 
crush  the  neck  of  every  water-snake  that  cum 
ashore  on  our  island.  One  thing  led  to  another, 
till  Bill  Bates  swore  he'd  kill  my  snake.  Sez 
I  to  him,  -Billum,'  (I  always  called  him  Billum 
when  I  MEANT  BiZNESS,)  ^  cf  3'ou  hurt  a  hair 
of  the  head  of  m}'  snake,  I'll  hop  on  to  you.' 
That  settled  our  pardnership.    Bill  Bates  knowed 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  l8l 

what  I  meant,  and  he  gathered  up  his  traps  and 
skedaddled. 

"Then  I  went  to  New  Orleans,  and  out  to 
Lake  Pontchartrain,  to  fish  for  market.  A  lot 
of  cussed  Chinese  was  in  the  bizness,  and  when 
the}^  found  coarse  fish  in  their  nets,  they'd  kill 
'em  and  heave  'em  overboard.  Now,  no  man  's 
got  a  rite  to  waste  anything,  so  we  fishermen  be- 
gun to  pay  sum  attention  to  the  opium-smokers 
in  good  arnest." 

Here  I  interrupted  the  speaker  to  ask  him  if 
it  would  be  safe  for  me  to  travel  alone  through 
the  fishinor-orrounds  of  these  Chinese. 

"Oh,  shucks!  safe  enuf  now,"  he  answered. 
"Once  they  was  a  bad  set;  but  a  change  has 
cum  over  'em  —  they're  civilized  now." 

A  vision  of  schools  and  earnest  missionary 
work  was  before  me  while  I  asked  how  their 
civilization  had  been  accomplished. 

"Oh,  shucks!  WE  dun  it — we  w^hite  fisher- 
men civilized  'em,"  was  the  emphatic  reply; 
"and  not  a  bit  too  soon  either,  for  the  waste- 
ful cusses  got  so  bad  they  wasn't  satisfied  with 
chucking  dead  fish  overboard,  but  would  go  on 
to  the  prairies,  and  after  using  the  grass  cabins 
we  WHITE  fishermen  had  built  to  go  into  in  bad 
weather,  the  bloody  furiners  would  burn  them 
up  to  bother  us.  They  thort  they'd  drive  us 
teetotally  out  of  the  diggins;  so  we  thort  it  was 
time    to    CIVILIZE    'em.      We    hid    in    the    long 


1 82  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

grass  fur  a  few  nights  and  watched  the  cusses. 
One  morning  a  Chinaman  was  found  dead  in  a 
cabin.  Pretty  soon  after,  one  or  two  others  was 
found  floatin'  round  loose,  in  the  same  way;  and 
after  that  lesson  or  two  the  fellers  orot  civilized; 
and  you  needn't  fear  goin'  among  'em  now,  fur 
they're  harmless  as  kittens.  They  don't  kill 
coarse  fish  now  fur  the  fun  of  it.  Oh,  shucks! 
there  's  nothin'  like  a  little  healthy  civilization 
fur  Chinamen  and  Injuns.  They  both  needs  it, 
and,  any  way,  this  is  a  white  man's  country." 

"And  what  of  negroes?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  the  niggers  is  good  enuf,  ef  you  let  'em 
alone.  The  Carpet-baggers  from  up  north  has 
filled  their  heads  with  all  kinds  of  stuff,  so  now 
they  think,  nat'rally  enuf,  that  they  ought  to  be 
office-holders,  when  they  can't  read  or  write  no 
more  than  I  can.  I'd  like  to  take  a  hand  civ- 
ilizing some  of  them  Carpet-baggers!  They 
needs  it  more  than  the  Chinamen  or  Injuns." 

During  part  of  the  evening,  Mr.  Sewall,  the 
nephew  of  the  owner  of  the  plantation,  was  with 
us  round  our  camp-fire.  We  spoke  of  Long- 
fellow's Evangeline,  the  bay-tree,  and  Atchafi- 
laya  River,  which  he  assured  me  was  slowly 
widening  its  current,  and  would  in  time,  per- 
haps, become  the  main  river  of  the  basin,  and 
finally  deprive  the  Mississippi  of  a  large  portion 
■  of  its  waters.  From  his  boyhood  he  had  watched 
■.the  falling  in  of  the  banks  with  the  widening  and 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 83 

increasinof  of  the  strength  of  the  current  of  the 
Atchafalaya  Bayou.  Once  it  was  impassable  for 
steamers;  but  a  little  dredging  opened  the  way, 
while  the  ISIississippi  and  Red  rivers  had  both 
contributed  to  its  volume  of  water  until  it  had 
deepened  sufficiently  for  United  States  gunboats 
to  ascend  it  durins:  the  late  war.  It  follows  the 
shortest  course  from  the  mouth  of  Red  River  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

I  left  White  Castle  Plantation  early  on  ]Mon- 
day  morning,  when  I  discovered  a  lot  of  fine 
sweet-potatoes  stowed  awa}^  in  the  hold  of  my 
boat.  The  northern  cooper  had  purchased  them 
during  the  night,  and  having  too  much  delicac)^ 
to  speak  of  his  gift,  secreted  them  in  the  boat. 
I  fully  appreciated  this  kind  act,  knowing  it  to 
be  a  mark  of  the  poor  man's  sympathy  for  his 
northern  countryman.  The  levee  for  miles  was 
lined  with  negroes  and  white  men  gathering  a 
harvest  of  firewood  from  the  drift  stuff.  One 
old  negro,  catching  sight  of  my  boat,  called  out 
to  his  companion,  "Randal,  look  at  dat  boat! 
De  longer  w^e  libs,  de  mor  you  sees.  What 
sort  o'  queer  boat  is  she?" 

Twenty  miles  below  White  Castle  Plantation 
is  the  valuable  sugar  estate  called  Houmas,  the 
property  of  General  Wade  Hampton  and  Colonel 
J.  T.  Preston.  General  Hampton  does  not  re- 
side upon  his  plantation,  but  makes  Georgia  his 
home.     Beyond  Houmas  the  parish  of  St.  James 


184  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

skirts  the  river  for  twenty  miles.  Three  miles 
back  from  the  river,  on  the  left  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  fifty-five  miles  from  New  Orleans,  is  the 
little  settlement  of  Grand  Point,  the  place  most 
famed  in  St.  James  for  perique  tobacco.  The 
first  settler  who  had  the  hardihood  to  enter  these 
solitudes  was  named  ]Maximilian  Roussel.  He 
purchased  a  small  tract  of  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment, and  in  the  year  1824  shouldered  his 
axe  and  camping-utensils,  and  started  for  his 
new  domain.  He  soon  built  a  hut,  and  at  once 
began  the  laborious  task  of  clearing  his  land, 
which  was  located  in  a  dense  cypress  swamp, 
alive  with  wild  beasts  and  alligators.  A  rough 
house  was  completed  at  the  end  of  a  year,  and 
into  it  Roussel  moved  his  family,  consisting  of 
a  wife  and  four  children.  Here  ^' he  lived  till 
he  died,''''  as  it  has  been  expressively  said. 

Octave  and  Louis,  two  of  his  sons,  and  both 
now  grandfathers,  still  live  on  the  old  place,  and 
are  highly  respected.  Onl}^  a  few  years  ago  the 
old  homestead  echoed  to  the  voices  of  five  of 
RousseFs  sons,  with  their  families;  but  death 
has  taken  two,  one  has  removed,  and  two  only 
now  remain  to  relate  the  history  of  the  almost 
unimaginable  hardships  encountered  by  the  old 
and  hardy  pioneer. 

There  are  at  present  nineteen  families  in  the 
settlement,  and  they  are  all  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  perique  tobacco.     An  average   farm 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 85 

on  Grant  Point  consists  of  eight  acres,  and  the 
averao-e  yield  of  manufactured  tobacco  is  four 
hundred  pounds  to  the  acre.  These  simple- 
hearted  people  seem  to  be  very  happy  and  con- 
tent. They  have  no  saloons  or  stores  of  anv 
kind,  but  their  place  is  well  filled  with  a  neat 
Catholic  church  and  a  substantial  school-house. 
Every  man,  woman,  and  child  is  a  devout  Roman 
Catholic,  and  in  their  daily  intercourse  with  each 
other  the  stranger  among  them  hears  a  patois 
something  like  the  French  language.  The  whole 
of  the  land  cultivated  by  these  people  would  not 
make  more  than  an  average  farm  in  the  north, 
while  compared  with  the  vast  sugar  estates  on 
every  side  of  it  the  dimensions  are  infinitesimal. 

Villages  were  now  picturesquely  grouped 
along  the  shores,  the  most  conspicuous  feature 
in  each  beinor  the  large  Catholic  church,  show^ing 
the  religious  belief  of  the  people.  Curious  little 
stores  were  perched  behind  the  now  high  banks 
of  the  levee.  The  signs  over  the  doors  bore  such 
inscriptions  as,  "  The  Red  Store,"  "  The  White 
Store,"  "  St.  John's  Store,"  "  Poor  Family  Store," 
&c.  Busy  life  was  seen  on  every  side,  but  here, 
as  elsewhere  in  the  south,  men  seemed  always  to 
have  time  to  give  a  civil  answer  to  any  necessary 
inquiries. 

Only  a  month  after  I  had  descended  this  part 
of  the  river,  Captain  Boyton,  clothed  in  his 
famous   swimming-suit,  paddled  his   way   down 


1 86  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

the  current  from  Bayou  Goula  to  New  Orleans, 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  The  incidents 
of  this  curious  voyage  are  now  a  part  of  the 
river's  history,  and  this  seems  the  place  for  the 
brave  captain  to  tell  his  story.     He  says: 

"  I  arrived  at  Bayou  Goula  on  the   ^  Bismarck,' 
about   six    o'clock    on   Thursday  m.orning;  and, 
after  considerable  delay,  succeeded  in  obtaining 
quarters  at  the  Buena  Vista  Hotel  in  that  village. 
At  that  point  I  engaged  the  services  of  a  colored 
man  named  Brown,  to  pilot  me  down  the  river. 
At  ten  o'clock  I  took  a  breakfast,  consisting  of 
five  eggs,  bread,  and    a    glass  of  beer,  and  ate 
nothing    else    during    the  day.     At  five  o'clock 
precisely  I  took  to  the  water  and  began  my  trip 
down  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans  —  a  trip  which 
proved  to  be  a  much  more  arduous   one  than   I 
had  anticipated,  in  consequence  of  the  want  of 
buoyancy  in  the  water,  the  terrible  counter-cur- 
rents, and  the   large   amount  of  drift-wood.     It 
was   some  time  before   I  could  master  the  diffi- 
culty about  the  drift-wood,  and  at  one  time  I  was 
so   annoyed  and  bruised  by  the  floating  debris, 
that  I  became   somewhat  apprehensive  about  the 
success  of  my  enterprise.     In  some  of  the  strong 
eddies  particularly  the  logs  played  such  fantastic 
tricks,rollingoverandoverwith  their  jagged  limbs 
and  again  standing  upon  their  ends,  that  I  feared  I 
must  either  be  carried  under,  or  have  my  dress 
stripped  com^pletely  oft'.     By  constant  watching, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX. 


187 


however,  I  was  enabled  to  steer  out  of  harm's  way 
and  to  keep  steadily  moving  down  the  stream. 

"  Above  Donaldsonville  I  was  met  by  a  fleet 
of  boats  filled  with  spectators,  who  accompanied 
me  down  to  that  point,  which  I  reached  about 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  town  was 
illuminated,  and  the  citizens  tendered  me  a  polite 
invitation  to  land  and  take  supper;  but  of  course 
I  was  obliged  to  decline,  accepting  in  lieu  a  drink 
and  a  sandwich.  Of  the  sandwich  I  ate  only  the 
bread. 


BOYTON     DESCENDING     THE      MISSISSIPPI. 


1 88  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

"BelowDonaldsonvillelwas  caught  in  the  great 
eddy.  It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  I  got  into  it,  and  it  was  good  daylight 
before  I  succeeded  in  orettino-  out  as^ain  into  the 
down-stream  current.  It  was  a  sins^ular  sensa- 
tion,  this  going  round  and  round  over  the  same 
ground,  so  to  speak,  and  for  the  life  of  me  I  could 
not  understand  how  I  seemed  now  and  then  to 
be  passing  the  same  plantation-houses  and  famil- 
iar landmarks.  The  skitT  which  accompanied 
me  was  also  in  the  same  predicament,  sometimes 
pulling  up  and  sometimes  pulling  down  stream. 
I  tried  to  guide  myself  by  the  north  star,  but 
before  I  was  aware  of  it  that  luminar}-,  which 
ought  to  have  kept  directly  in  my  front,  would 
pop  up,  as  it  were,  behind  me,  and  destroy  all 
my  calculations.  When  daylight  came,  how- 
ever, and  the  fog  lifted  sufficient!}',  I  was  able  to 
paddle  out  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and 
keep  down  it  once  again. 

"  Early  in  the  morning,  above  Bonnet  Carre,  I 
asked  several  persons  on  shore  for  some  cotfee, 
but  most  of  them  seemed  too  much  excited  to 
attend  to  this  pressing  want  of  mine.  At  last  a 
gentleman  who  spoke  French  got  his  wife  to  go 
and  get  me  a  cup  of  coffee,  after  drinking  which 
I  felt  greatly  refreshed.  The  sandwich  and  drink 
at  Donaldsonville,  and  this  cup  of  coffee  next 
morning,  were  the  only  things  in  the  shape  of 
refreshments  which   I   took   during  the  twenty- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 89 

four  hours'  voyage.  At  times  I  was  almost  cer- 
tain I  was  being  attacked  by  alligators,  and 
thoufrht  I  should  have  to  use  the  knife  with 
which  I  always  go  armed,  but  it  only  proved 
to  be  the  annoying  drift-wood  in  which  I  would 
become  fearfully  entangled.  I  only  suffered 
from  the  cold  in  my  feet.  These  I  warmed, 
however,  after  the  sun  came  out,  by  inflating  the 
lower  part  of  my  dress,  and  holding  them  up  out 
of  the  water. 

"  The  banks  all  along  the  way  were  crowded 
with  people  to  see  me  pass  down.  At  one  point, 
when  I  had  allowed  the  air  to  escape  from  the 
lower  part  of  my  dress,  and  was  going  along  rap- 
idly, with  nothing  showing  above  water  but  my 
head  and  my  paddle,  I  met  a  skitf,  which  con- 
tained a  negro  man  and  woman,  who  were 
crossing  the  river.  The  woman  became  fear- 
fully alarmed,  and  her  screams  could  have  been 
heard  for  miles  away.  The  man  pulled  for  dear 
life,  the  woman  in  the  stern  acting  the  cockswain, 
and  uriiino;  the  boat  forward  in  the  funniest  man- 
ner  possible. 

"  While  in  the  g-reat  eddv  I  drifted  into  an 
immense  flock  of  ducks,  and  but  for  the  noise 
made  by  those  in  the  skift'  I  could  easily  have 
caught  several  of  them,  as  they  were  not  at  all 
disturbed  by  my  presence,  but  swam  leisurely 
all  about  me. 

"At   the    Red   Church,  the  wind  blowing  up 


190  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

against  the  current  kicked  up  a  nasty  sea,  which 
gave  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  By  sinking 
down  very  low,  however,  and  allowing  only  my 
head  above  water,  and  taking  the  shower-bath  as 
it  came  upon  me  continuously,  I  was  enabled  to 
keep  up  my  headway  down  stream.  When  at 
my  best  speed  I  easily  kept  ahead  of  the  boats, 
ofoinof  sometimes  at  the  rate  of  seven  miles  an 
hour  without  difficulty. 

"  This  feat  was  a  much  more  arduous  one  than 
my  trip  across  the  English  Channel.  Then  I 
only  slept  two  hours,  and  was  up  again,  feeling  all 
right;  but  when  this  thing  was  over  I  slept  all 
night,  had  a  refreshing  bath,  and  still  suffered 
from  latigue,  to  say  nothing  of  my  swollen  wrists 
and  neck-glands." 

Having  finished  his  remarkable  voyage  suc- 
cessfully, Captain  Boyton  concluded  that  his 
life-saving  dress  had  been  fully  tested  in  Amer- 
ica, and  determined  to  rest  on  his  laurels,  and 
avoid  Mississippi  debris  in  future.  In  conse- 
quence of  being  caught  in  the  eddy  below  Don- 
aldsonville,  this  great  swimmer  estimated  the 
distance  he  traversed  from  Bayou  Goula  to 
New  Orleans  as  fully  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.* 

About   dusk   I  rowed   into  a  grove  of  young 

*  Since  this  voyage  ended,  Captain  Boyton  has,  in  the  same 
manner,  successfully  descended  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi 
rivers  from  Cairo  to  New  Orleans. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I9I 

willows,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  on  the 
Shepard  Plantation.  Aly  boat  was  soon  securely 
fastened  to  a  tree,  and  having  partaken  of  my 
fruo-al  meal  I  retired.  A  comfortable  nio^ht's 
rest  was,  however,  out  of  the  question,  for  the 
passing  steamers  tossed  me  about  in  a  most 
unceremonious  manner,  seeming  to  me  in  my 
dreams  to  be  chanting  for  their  lullaby,  "  Rock- 
a-by  baby  on  the  tree-top."  Indeed,  the  baby  on 
the  tree-top  was  in  an  enviable  position  compared 
with  my  kaleidoscopic  movements  among  the 
swashy  seas.  Many  visions  were  before  me  that 
night,  of  the  numerous  little  sufferers  who  are 
daily  slung  backwards  and  forwards  in  those 
pernicious  instruments  of  torture  called  cradles. 

INIemory  brought  also  another  picture  I  hoped 
it  had  been  mv  2:ood  fortune  to  forsjet.  It  was  a 
scene  on  the  veranda  of  a  country  house.  Five 
sisters,  all  pretty  girls,  whose  grace  and  vivacity 
I  had  often  admired,  were  there,  each  in  her 
rocking-chair,  and  each  swinging  to  and  fro,  as 
though  perpetual  motion  had  been  discovered. 
Why  must  an  American  woman  have  a  rocking- 
chair?  In  no  other  countr}' in  the  world,  except- 
ing among  the  Creoles  of  South  America,  is  this 
awkward  piece  of  furniture  so  popular.  Burn 
the  cradles  and  taboo  the  graceless  rocking-chair, 
and  our  children  will  have  steadier  heads  and  our 
women  learn  the  attractive  grace  of  quiet  ease. 

The   following  day  I   struggled    against  head 


192  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

winds  and  swashy  seas,  until  their  combined 
forces  proved  too  much  for  me,  and  succumbing 
as  amiably  as  possible  under  the  circumstances, 
the  little  white  boat  was  run  ashore  on  the  Picou 
Plantation,  where  the  coast  was  fortunately  low. 
The  rain  and  wind  held  me  prisoner  there  until 
midnight,  when,  with  a  rising  moon  to  cheer  me, 
I  forced  a  passage  through  the  blockade  of  drift- 
wood, and  being  once  more  on  the  river,  waved 
an  adieu  to  my  last  camp  on  the  Mississippi. 

I  was  now  only  thirt3'-seven  miles  from  New 
Orleans.  Rowing  rapidly  down  the  broad  river, 
now  shrouded  in  gloom,  with  the  fleecy  scuds 
flying  overhead  in  the  stormy  firmament,  I  fully 
realized  that  I  was  soon  to  leave  the  noble  stream 
which  had  borne  me  so  long  and  so  safely  upon 
its  bosom.  A  thunder-shower  rose  in  the  west, 
its  massive  blackness  lighted  by  the  vivid  flashes 
which  played  over  its  surface.  The  houses  of  the 
planters  along  the  river's  bank  were  enveloped 
in  foliage,  and  the  air  was  so  redolent  with  the 
frao-rance  of  flowers  that  I  seemed  to  be  floating 
through  an  Eden.  The  wind  and  the  clouds 
disappeared  together,  and  a  glorious  sunrise  gave 
promise  of  a  perfect  day.  With  the  light  came 
life.  Where  all  had  been  silent  and  restful,  man 
and  beast  now  made  known  their  presence.  The 
rising^  sun  seemed  to  be  the  siofnal  for  taking' 
hold  where  they  had  let  go  the  night  before. 
The   crowing   of  cocks,   the  cries   of  plantation 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 93 

hands,  the  hungry  neigh  of  horses,  the  hundred 
and  one  sounds  of  this  work-a-day  world,  greeted 
my  ears,  while  my  eyes,  taking  a  rapid  survey 
of  the  surrounding  steamers,  coal-arks,  and 
barges  of  every  description,  carried  quickly  to 
my  brain  the  intelligence  that  I  was  near  the 
Crescent  City  of  the  Gulf.  Soon  forests  of  masts 
rose  upon  the  horizon,  for  there  were  vessels  of 
all  nations  ranged  alonsr  the  levee  of  this  once 
prosperous  city. 

Anxious  to  escape  the  officious  kindness  al- 
ways encountered  about  the  docks  of  southern 
cities,  I  peered  about,  hoping  to  find  some  quiet 
corner  in  which  to  moor  my  floating  home.  Near 
the  foot  of  Louisiana  Avenue  I  saw  the  fine 
boat-house  of  the  "  Southern  Boat  Club,"  and 
being  pleasantly  hailed  by  one  of  its  members, 
hove  to,  and  told  him  of  my  perplexity.  With 
the  ever  ready  hospitality  of  a  southerner,  he  as- 
sured me  that  the  boat-house  was  at  my  disposal; 
and  calling  a  friend  to  assist,  we  easily  hauled 
the  duck-boat  out  of  the  water,  up  the  inclined 
plane,  into  her  new  quarters. 

The  row  upon  the  Mississippi  from  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio  down  to  New  Orleans,  including 
many  stoppages,  had  occupied  nineteen  days, 
and  had  been  accelerated  by  considerable  night 
voyaging.  The  flow  of  the  jNIississippi  was 
about  one  third  faster  than  that  of  the  Ohio. 
Lloyd's   River  Map  gives  the  distance  from  the 

13 


194  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

mouth  of  the  Ohio  to  the  centre  of  New  Orleans 
as  ten  hundred  and  fift3'-five  miles,  but  the  sur- 
ve3's  of  the  United  States  Engineer  Corps  make 
this  crooked  route  ten  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
only. 

My  floating  home  being  now  in  good  hands, 
its  captain  turned  his  back  on  the  water,  and  took 
a  turn  on  land,  leaving  the  river  bounded  b}^  its 
narrow  horizon,  but  teeming  with  a  strange,  no- 
madic life,  the  various  types  of  which  afforded  a 
field  where  much  gleaning  would  end  in  but  a 
scanty  harvest  of  good.  Already  my  ears  caught, 
in  fancy,  the  sound  of  the  restless  waves  of  the 
briny  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  my  spirits 
rose  at  the  prospect  of  the  broader  experiences 
about  to  be  encountered. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I95 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

NEW    ORLEANS. 

BIENVILLE  AND  THE  CITY  OF  THE  PAST.  —  FRENCH  AND  SPANISH 
RULE  IN  THE  NEW  WORLD.  —  LOUISIANA  CEDED  TO  THE  UNITED 
STATES.  —  CAPTAIN  EADS  AND  HIS  JETTIES.  —  TRANSPORTA- 
TIONS OF  CEREALS  TO  EUROPE.  —  CHARLES  MORGAN.  —  CREOLE 
TYPES  OF  CITIZENS.  —  LEVEES  AND  CRAWFISH.  —  DRAINAGE 
OF   THE   CITY    INTO    LAKE   PONTCHARTRAIN. 

THIS  was  my  fifth  visit  to  New  Orleans,  and 
walking  through  its  quaint  streets  I  observed 
many  changes  of  an  undesirable  nature,  the  inev- 
itable consequences  of  political  misrule.  As  the 
past  of  the  city  loomed  up  before  me,  the  various 
scenes  of  bloodshed,  crime,  and  misery  enacted, 
shifted  like  pictures  in  a  panorama  before  m}?- 
mind's  eye.  I  saw  far  back  in  the  distance  an 
indomitable  man,  faint  and  discouraged,  after  the 
terrible  sufferings  of  a  winter  at  a  bleak  fort  in 
the  wilderness,  drag  his  weary  limbs  to  the  spot 
where  New  Orleans  now  stands,  and  defiantly 
unfurling  the  flag  of  France,  determined  to  estab- 
lish the  capital  of  Louisiana  on  the  treacherous 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Such  was  Bienville, 
the  hardy  son  of  a  Canadian  father. 

A   little   later  we   have   the  New  Orleans  of 


196  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

1723.  It  is  a  low  swamp,  overgrown  with  rag- 
ged forests,  and  cut  up  into  a  thousand  islands 
by  ruts  and  pools  of  stagnant  water.  There  is  a 
small  cleared  space  along  the  river's  channel; 
but  even  this  being  only  partly  reclaimed  from 
the  surrounding  marsh,  is  often  inundated.  It  is 
cut  up  into  square  patches,  round  each  of  which 
runs  a  ditch  of  black  mud  and  refuse,  which, 
lying  exposed  to  the  rays  of  an  almost  tropical 
sun,  sends  forth  unwholesome  odors,  and  invites 
pestilence. 

There  is  a  palisade  around  the  city,  and  a  great 
moat;  and  here,  with  the  tall,  green  grasses 
growing  up  to  their  humble  doors,  live  graceful 
ladies  and  noble  gentlemen,  representatives  of 
that  nation  so  famed  for  tinesse  of  manner  and 
stately  grace.  It  is  an  odd  picture  this  rough 
doorway,  surrounded  with  reeds  and  swamps, 
mud  and  misery,  and  crowned  with  the  beauty 
of  a  fair  French  maiden,  who  steps  daintily,  with 
Parisian  ease,  upon  the  highway  of  the  new  world. 

She  is  not,  however,  alone  in  her  exile.  Along 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  for  miles  beyond  the 
city,  stretch  the  fertile  plantations  of  the  represen- 
tatives of  aristocratic  French  families.  The  rich 
lands  are  worked  by  negro  slaves,  who,  fresh  from 
the  African  coast,  walk  erect  before  their  mas- 
ters, being  strangers  to  the  abject,  crouching  gait 
which  a  century  of  slavery  afterwards  imposes 
upon   them.     No  worship   save   the   Catholic  is 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  I97 

allowed,  and  to  remind  the  people  of  their  duty 
wooden  crosses  are  erected  on  every  side. 

The  next  picture  of  New  Orleans  is  in  1792. 
It  has  passed  into  other  hands  now,  for  the  king 
of  France  has  ceded  it,  wnth  the  territory  of  Lou- 
isiana, to  his  cousin  of  Spain,  and  has  in  fact, 
with  a  single  stroke  of  the  pen,  stripped  himself 
of  possessions  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  type  of  civ- 
ilization is  now  chanofcd,  and  we  see  thin2:s  mov- 
ing  in  the  iron  groove  of  Spanish  bigotry.  The 
very  architecture  changes  with  the  new  rule,  and 
the  houses  seem  grim  and  fortress-like,  while  the 
cadaverous-cheeked  Spaniard  stands  in  the  gloom 
with  his  hand  upon  his  sword,  one  of  the  six 
thousand  souls  now  within  this  ill-drained  city. 
Successive  Spanish  governors  hold  their  sway 
under  the  Spanish  king;  and  then  the  Spaniard 
goes  his  way. 

Spanish  civilization  cannot  take  so  firm  a  hold 
in  New  Orleans  as  the  French,  and  many  pri- 
vately pray  for  the  old  banner,  until  at  last 
France  herself  determines  to  again  possess  her 
old  territory.  Spain,  knowing  opposition  to  be 
useless,  and  heartily  sick  of  this  distant  colony, 
so  hard  to  govern  and  so  near  the  quarrelsome 
Americans,  who  seem  ready  to  fultil  their  threat 
of  taking  New  Orleans  by  force  if  their  commer- 
cial interests  are  interfered  with,  yields  a  ready 
assent.     The  city  becomes  the  property  of  Napo- 


198  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

leon  the  Great;  but  hardly  have  the  papers  been 
signed,  when,  in  1S03,  it  is  ceded  to  the  United 
States.  Half  a  generation  later  the  conflicting 
national  elements  are  settled  into  something  like 
harmony,  and  the  state  of  Louisiana  has  a  popu- 
lation of  fifty  thousand  souls. 

In  1812  war  is  declared  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States.  Soon  after.  General  An- 
drew Jackson  wins  a  victory  over  the  English  on 
the  lowlands  near  New  Orleans,  when,  with  the 
raw  troops  of  the  river  states,  he  drives  off,  and 
sends  home,  fifteen  thousand  skilled  British  sol- 
diers. Bowing  his  laurel-crowned  head  before 
the  crowd  assembled  to  do  him  honor,  the  brave 
American  general  receives  the  benediction  of  the 
venerable  abbe,  while  his  memory  is  kept  ever 
fresh  in  the  public  mind  by  the  grand  equestrian 
statue  which  now  stands  a  monument  to  his 
prowess. 

But  the  New  Orleans  of  to-day  is  not  like  any 
of  these  we  have  seen.  The  Crescent  City  has 
passed  beyond  the  knowledge  of  even  Jackson 
himself,  and  most  startled  would  the  old  general 
be  could  he  now  walk  its  busy  streets.  Rising 
steadily,  though  slowly,  from  the  effects  of  the 
civil  war,  her  position  as  a  port  insures  a  glori- 
ous future.  ]\Iuch,  of  course,  depends  upon  the 
success  of  Captain  Eads  in  keeping  open  a  deep 
channel  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.     This  great  river  deposits 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  1 99 

a  large  amount  of  alluvium  at  its  North-east, 
South-east,  South,  and  South-west  Passes,  which 
are  the  principal  mouths  of  the  Mississippi. 
When  the  light  alluvium  held  in  suspension  in 
the  fresh  water  of  the  river  meets  the  denser 
briny  water  of  the  Gulf,  it  is  precipitated  to  the 
bottom,  and  builds  up  a  shoal,  or  bar,  upon  which 
vessels  drawing  sixteen  feet  of  water,  in  the 
deepest  channel,  frequently  stick  fast  for  weeks 
at  a  time.  In  consequence  of  these  bars,  so  fre- 
quently forming,  deep  sea-going  vessels  run  the 
risk  of  most  unprofitable  delay  in  ascending  the 
river  to  New  Orleans. 

Captain  Eads,  the  projector  of  the  great  St. 
Louis  bridge,  which  cost  some  seven  or  more 
millions  of  dollars,  has  succeeded,  by  narrowing 
and  confining  the  river's  current  at  the  South 
Pass  by  means  of  artificial  jetties,  in  scouring 
out  the  channel  from  a  depth  of  about  seven 
feet  to  one  of  more  than  twenty  feet.  Thus  the 
most  shoal  pass  has  already  become  the  deepest 
entrance  to  the  Mississippi.  If  the  results  of 
Captain  Eads's  most  wonderful  success  can  be 
maintained.  New  Orleans  will  be  able  to  support 
a  fleet  of  European  steamers,  while  the  cereals 
and  cotton  of  the  river  basins  tributary  to  New 
Orleans  will  be  exported  from  that  city  directly 
to  Europe,  instead  of  being  subjected  to  a  costly 
transportation  by  rail  across  the  country  to  New 
York,  Baltimore,  and  other  Atlantic  ports.     Lim- 


200  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ited  space  forbids  my  presenting  figures  to  sup- 
port the  theories  of  the  people  of  New  Orleans, 
but  they  are  of  the  most  interesting  nature.  A 
few  words  from  an  intellis^ent  Kentuckian  will 
express  the  views  of  many  of  the  people  of  that 
state  in  regard  to  the  system  of  transportation. 
He  says: 

"  Nearly  all  the  products  of  Kentucky  have 
their  prices  determined  by  the  cost  of  transporta- 
tion to  the  great  centres  of  population  along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard,  or  beyond  the  sea.  Its  to- 
bacco, pork,  grain,  and  some  of  the  costlier 
woods,  with  other  products,  find  their  principal 
markets  in  Europe,  while  cattle,  and  to  a  certain 
extent  the  other  agricultural  products  of  the  state, 
have  their  values  determined  by  the  cost  of 
transportation  to  the  American  Atlantic  markets. 
Hitherto  this  access  to  the  domestic  and  foreign 
markets  of  the  Atlantic  shores  has  been  had 
by  way  of  the  railway  systems  w^hich  traverse 
the  reo^ion  north  of  Kentuckv,  and  from  which 
the  state  has  been  divided  by  opposing  interests 
and  the  ph3^sical  barrier  of  the  Ohio  River. 
All  the  development  of  the  state  has  taken  place 
under  these  disadvantages. 

"  A  comparison  of  the  tables  of  cost,  given 
below,  will  show  that  the  complete  opening  of 
the  mouth  of  the  oNIississippi  to  ocean  ships  will 
result  in  the  enfranchisement  of  the  productions 
of  Kentucky  in  an  extraordinary  way.     They  are 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  20I 

taken  from  published  freight  rates,  and  give  time 
and  cost  of  transit  from  St.  Paul,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, about  two  thousand  miles  from  New- 
Orleans,  to  Liverpool  b}'  the  two  routes:  one 
being  by  rail,  lake,  canal,  and  ocean;  the  other 
by  river  and  ocean ; 

Cost  per 
bushel.    Time. 
Cents.    Days. 

From  St.  Paul  to  Chicago  (by  rail),      .18  4 

do.    Chicago  to  Buffalo  (by  lake),      .  8  6 

do.    BuffalotoNew  York  (by  canal),  .  14  24 

do.    N.York  to  Liverpool  (by  ocean),  16  12 

Elevator,  or  transshipment  charges: 

Chicago, 2  2 

Buffalo, 2  2 

New  York, 4  2 

Total, 64       52 

Cost  per 
bushel.    Time. 
Cents.      Days. 

From   St.   Paul   to    New   Orleans  (via 

river),  1993   miles,     .     .  .     .18  10 

do.     New  Orleans  to  Liverpool,  .     .  20  20 

Elevator  charges,  New  Orleans,  .     .     2  i 

Total, 40       31 

"  Here   is  a  saving  by  direct  trade  of  twenty- 
four  cents  per  bushel,  or  eight  shillings  per  quar- 


202  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ter,  and  a  saving  of  twenty-one  days  in  time.  To 
be  fair,  I  have  taken  the  extreme  point;  but  the 
nearer  the  grain  is  to  the  Gulf,  the  cheaper  the 
transportation.  At  the  present  time  the  freight 
rates  from  the  lower  Ohio  to  Liverpool  would 
permit  the  profitable  shipment  of  the  canal  coal, 
and  native  woods  of  different  species,  to  Europe 
with  one  transshipment  at  New  Orleans." 

The  gross  receipts  of  cotton  in  New  Orleans 
amount  to  thirty-three  and  one-third  per  cent, 
of  the  production  of  the  entire  country.  In 
1859-60  the  receipts  and  exports  of  cotton  from 
New  Orleans  exceeded  two  and  a  quarter  mil- 
lions of  bales,  the  value  of  which  was  over  one 
hundred  millions  of  dollars.  In  the  season  of 
1871-72  the  cotton  crop  amounted  to  two  mil- 
lion nine  hundred  and  seventy-four  thousand 
bales,  one-third  of  which  passed  through  New 
Orleans.  A  vast  amount  of  other  products,  such 
as  sugar,  tobacco,  flour,  pork,  &c.,  is  received 
at  New  Orleans  and  sent  abroad.  Besides  this 
export  trade.  New  Orleans  imports  coffee,  salt, 
sugar,  iron,  dr37-goods,  and  liquors,  to  the  aver- 
age yearly  value  of  seventeen  millions  of  dollars. 

In  1878  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  million 
four  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  bushels 
of  grain  were  received  at  the  Atlantic  ports  of 
the  United  States  from  the  interior.  This  great 
bulk  of  grain  represented  a  portion  only  of  the 
cereals    actually  raised    in    the    whole    country. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  203 

The  largest  portion  of  it  was  produced  in  the 
states  tributary  to  the  Mississippi  River  and  its 
branches.  This  statement  will  give  an  idea  of 
what  miorht  be  saved  to  foreis^n  consumers  if  a 
part  of  this  great  crop  went  down  the  natural 
water-w\ay  to  New  Orleans.  In  the  same  year, 
steamboats  were  freighting  barrels  of  merchan- 
dise at  fifty  cents  per  barrel  for  fifteen  hundred 
miles  from  New  Orleans  to  up-river  ports.  This 
shows  at  what  low  rates  frei splits  can  be  trans- 
ported  on  western  rivers. 

Each  city  has  its  representative  men,  and  New 
Orleans  has  one  who  has  done  much  to  build 
up  the  great  commercial  and  transportation  in- 
terests of  the  Southwest.  An  unassuming  man, 
destitute  of  means,  went  to  the  South  many 
years  ago.  Uprightness  in  dealing  with  his  fel- 
low-man, industry  in  business,  and  large  and 
comprehensive  views,  marked  his  career.  Step 
by  step  he  fought  his  way  up  from  a  humble 
station  in  life  to  one  of  the  grandest  positions 
that  has  ever  been  attained  by  a  self-made  man. 
More  than  one  state  feels  the  results  of  his  tire- 
less energy  and  successful  commercial  schemes. 
He  is  now  the  sole  proprietor  of  two  railroads, 
and  the  owner  of  a  mao^nificent  fleet  of  steamers 
which  unite  the  ports  of  New  York  and  New 
Orleans  with  the  long  seaboard  of  Texas. 

So  skilfully  has  this  man  conducted  the  details 
of  the  great  enterprises  he  has  created,  that  dur- 


204  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ing  a  term  of  many  years  not  one  human  life  has 
been  lost  upon  sea  or  land  by  the  mismanage- 
ment of  any  of  his  numerous  agents.  He  is 
now  past  eighty;  but  this  remarkable  man,  with 
his  tireless  brain,  goes  persistently  on,  and  within 
fourteen  months  past  contracted  for  the  building 
of  two  line  iron  steamers,  and  nearl}^  completed 
two  more  for  ocean  trade.  A  New  Orleans 
paper  asserts  that  within  the  same  period  "  he 
has  elevated  his  Louisiana  Railroad  bed,  along 
its  route  for  twenty  miles,  above  the  highest 
water-mark  of  overflows,  and  has  converted  a 
shallow  bayou  between  Galveston  and  Houston, 
Texas,  into  a  deep  stream,  navigable  for  his 
largest  vessels.  On  these  works  he  expended 
over  two  millions  of  dollars." 

His  shops  for  the  construction  of  railroad 
stock,  and  for  the  repairing  of  his  steamships, 
are  in  Louisiana,  where  he  employs  over  one 
thousand  workmen.  In  compliment  to  the  vir- 
tues of  this  modest,  energetic  man,  to  whom  the 
people  of  the  Southwest  owe  so  much,  the  citi- 
zens of  Brashear,  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Louisiana,  have  changed  the  name  of  their  town 
to  Morgan  City.  May  the  last  days  of  Charles 
Morgan  be  blessed  with  the  happy  conscious- 
ness that  he  deserves  the  reward  of  a  well- 
spent  life! 

The  winter  climate  of  New  Orleans  is  de- 
lightful, and  many  persons  leave  New  England's 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  205 

cruel  east  winds  to  breathe  its  soft  air  and  rejoice 
in  its  sunshine.  These  pale-faced  invalids  are 
strangely  grouped  in  the  quaint  old  streets  with 
the  peculiar  people  of  the  city,  and  add  an- 
other to  the  many  types  already  there.  The 
New  Orleans  market  furnishes,  perhaps,  the 
best  opportunity  for  the  ethnological  student,  for 
there  strange  motley  groups  are  always  to  be 
found.  Even  the  cries  are  in  the  quaint  voices 
of  a  foreign  city,  and  it  seems  almost  impos- 
sible to  imagine  that  one  is  in  America. 

We  see  the  Sicilian  fruit-seller  with  his  na- 
tive dialect;  the  brisk  French  madame  with  her 
dainty  stall;  the  mild-eyed  Louisiana  Indian 
woman  widi  her  sack  of  gumbo  spread  out  be- 
fore her;  the  fish-dealer  with  his  wooden  bench 
and  odd  patois;  the  dark-haired  Creole  lady 
with  her  servant  gliding  here  and  there;  the 
old  Spanish  gentleman  with  the  blood  of  Cas- 
tile tingling  in  his  veins;  the  graceful  French 
dame  in  her  becoming  toilet;  the  Hebrew 
woman  with  her  dark  eyes  and  rich  olive  com- 
plexion; the  pure  Anglo-Saxon  type,  ever  dis- 
tinguishable from  all  others;  and,  swarming 
among  them  all,  the  irrepressible  negro,  —  him 
you  find  in  every  size,  shape,  and  shade,  from 
the  tiny  yellow  pickaninny  to  his  rotund  and 
inky  grandmother,  from  the  lazy  wharf-darky, 
half  clad  in  both  mind  and  body,  to  the  digni- 
fied colored  policeman,  who  patrols  with  officious 


2o6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

gravity  the  city  streets,  —  In  freedom  or  slavery, 
north  or  south,  in  sunshine  or  out  of  it,  ever 
the  same  easy,  improvident  race;  ever  the  same 
gleaming  teeth  and  ready  "Yes,  sah!  'pon  my 
^vord,  sah!  "  and  ever  the  same  tardiness  to  do. 

Leaving  the  busy,  surging  mass  of  humanity, 
each  so  eager  to  buy  or  sell,  the  visitor  to  New 
Orleans  will  find  a  great  contrast  of  scene  in 
the  quiet  cemeteries  with  their  high  walls  of 
shelves,  where  the  dead  are  laid  away  in  closely 
cemented  tombs  built  one  over  the  other,  and 
all  above  the  ground,  to  be  safe  from  the  en- 
croachment of  water,  the  ever-pervading  foe  of 
New  Orleans.  Not  only  must  the  dead  be 
stowed  away  above-ground,  but  the  living  must 
wage  a  daily  war  against  this  insidious  foe,  and 
watch  with  vio-ilance  their  levees. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  in 
regard  to  the  enervating  effects  of  a  southern 
climate,  the  inhabitants  of  the  state  of  Louis- 
iana have  shown  a  pertinacity  in  maintaining 
their  levee  system  which  is  almost  unexampled. 
They  have  always  asserted  their  rights  to  the 
lowlands  in  which  thev  live,  and  have  under 
the  most  tr3^ing  circumstances  braved  inunda- 
tion. They  have  built  more  than  one  thousand 
live  hundred  miles  of  levees  within  the  state 
limits.  The  state  engineer  corps  is  always  at 
work  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  and 
its  important  ba3'ous. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  207 

The  work  of  levee-building  has  been  pushed 
ahead  when  a  thousand  evils  beset  the  com- 
munity- Accurate  and  detailed  surveys  are  a 
constant  necessity  to  prevent  inundation.  The 
cost-value  of  the  present  system  is  seven  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  and  as  much  more  is  needed  to 
make  it  perfect.  During  the  civil  war  millions 
ol  cubic  feet  of  levees  were  destroyed;  but  the 
state  in  her  impoverished  condition  has  not  only 
rebuilt  the  old  levees,  but  added  new  ones  in 
the  intervening  3-ears,  showing  an  industry  and 
energy  we  must  all  appreciate. 

The  water  has  an  assistant  in  its  cruel  in- 
roads, and  the  peace  of  mind  of  the  property- 
holders  along  the  lower  Mississippi  is  constantl}' 
disturbed  by  the  presence  of  a  burrowing  pest 
which  lives  in  the  artificial  dikes,  and  is  al- 
ways working  for  their  destruction.  This  little 
animal  is  the  crawfish  (^Astacies  Mississippien- 
sis)  of  the  western  states,  and  bores  its  way  both 
vertically  and  laterally  into  the  levees.  This 
species  of  crawfish  builds  a  habitation  nearly  a 
foot  in  height  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  to 
which  it  retreats,  at  times,  during  high  water. 
The  Mississippi  crawfish  is  about  four  inches  in 
length,  and  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  lobster; 
its  breeding  habits  being  also  similar.  The 
female  crawfish,  like  the  lobster,  travels  about 
with  her  eggs  held  in  peculiar  arm-like  or- 
gans   under    her   jointed    tail,    where    they    arc 


2o8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

protected  from  being  devoured  by  other  ani- 
mals. Tliere  they  remain  until  hatched;  but 
the  young  crawfish  does  not  experience  the  met- 
amorphosis peculiar  to  most  decapods. 

These  animals  open  permanent  drains  in  the 
levees,  through  which  the  water  finds  its  way, 
slowly  at  first,  then  rapidly,  until  it  undermines 
the  bank,  when  a  crevasse  occurs,  and  many 
square  miles  of  arable  and  forest  lands  are  sub- 
merged for  weeks  at  a  time.  The  extermination 
of  these  mischievous  pests  seems  an  impossibil- 
it}^,  and  they  have  cost  the  Mississippi  property- 
owners  immense  sums  of  money  since  the  levee 
system  was  first  introduced  upon  the  river. 

The  city  of  New  Orleans  is  built  upon  land 
about  four  feet  below  the  level  of  the  Mississippi 
River  at  high-water  mark,  and,  running  along 
the  great  bend  in  the  river,  forms  a  semicircle; 
and  it  is  from  this  peculiar  site  it  has  gained 
the  appellation  of  ^'  Crescent  City."  The  build- 
ings stretch  back  to  the  borders  of  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain,  which  empties  its  waters  into  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  All  the  drainage  of  the  city  is  car- 
ried by  means  of  canals  into  the  lake,  while  the 
two  largest  of  these  canals  are  navigable  for 
steamers  of  considerable  size.  Large  cargoes 
arc  transported  through  these  artificial  water- 
ways to  the  lake,  and  from  it  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  and  so  on  along  the  southern  coast  to 
Florida. 


'•> 


iXl 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  209 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ON    THE    GULF   OF   MEXICO. 

LEAVE  NEW  ORLEANS. — THE  ROUGHS  AT  WORK.  —  DETAINED  AT 
NEW  BASIN.  —  SADDLES  INTRODUCES  HIMSELF.  —  CAMPING  ON 
LAKE  PONTCHARTRAIN.  —  THE  LIGHT-HOUSE  OF  POINT  AUX 
HERBES.  —  THE  RIGOLETS. —  MARSHES  AND  MOSQUITOES. — IM- 
PORTANT USE  OF  THE  MOSQUITO  AND  BLOW-FLY.  —  ST.  JO- 
SEPH'S LIGHT.  —  AN  EXCITING  PULL  TO  BAY  ST.  LOUIS. —  A 
LIGHT-KEEPER  LOST  IN  THE  SEA.  —  BATTLE  OF  THE  SHARKS. — 
BILOXI. — THE   WATER-CRESS   GARDEN.  —  LITTLE  JENNIE. 

ONE  of  the  chief  charms  in  a  boatman's  life 
is  its  freedom,  and  what  that  freedom  is  no 
one  knows  until  he  throws  aside  the  chains  of 
every-day  life,  steps  out  of  the  worn  ruts,  and, 
with  his  kit  beside  him,  his  oar  in  his  hand, 
feels  himself  master  of  his  time,  and  free. 
There  is  one  duty  incumbent  on  the  voyager, 
however,  and  that  is  to  keep  his  face  set  upon 
his  goal.  Remembering  this,  I  turned  my  back 
upon  the  beguiling  city  of  New  Orleans,  with 
its  orange  groves  and  sw^eet  flowers,  its  old 
buildings  and  modern  civilization,  its  French 
cafes  and  bewitching  oddities  of  every  nature, 
taking  away  with  me  among  my  most  pleasant 
memories  the  recollection  of  the  kind  hospital- 
ity of  the    gentlemen    of   the   "  Southern    Boat 

14 


2IO  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Club,"  who  presented  me  with  a  duplicate  of 
the  beautiful  silk  pendant  of  their  club. 

My  shortest  route  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  was 
through  New  Basin  Canal,  six  miles  in  length, 
into  Lake  Pontchartrain,  and  from  there  to  the 
Gulf  If  I  had  disembarked  upon  the  levee,  at 
the  foot  of  Julia  Street,  when  I  arrived  in  New 
Orleans,  there  would  have  been  only  a  short 
portage  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  in  a  direct 
line,  to  the  canal;  but  my  little  craft  had  been 
left  in  the  keeping  of  the  Southern  Boat  Club, 
and  the  position  of  their  boat-house  made  a 
portage  of  two  miles  a  necessity.  An  express- 
wagon  was  procured,  and,  accompanied  by  INIr. 
Charles  Deckbar,  a  member  of  the  club,  the 
little  boat  was  safely  carried  through  the  city 
streets,  and  once  more  shot  into  her  native 
element  in  the  waters  of  New  Basin  Canal. 
The  first  part  of  this  canal  runs  through  the  city 
proper,  and  then  through  a  low  swampy  region 
out  into  the  shallow  lake  Pontchartrain.  At  the 
terminus  of  New  Basin  Canal  I  found  a  small 
light-house,  two  or  three  hotels,  and  a  few 
houses,  makinjr  a  little  villasfe. 

A  small  fleet  of  schooners,  which  had  brought 
lumber  and  firewood  from  Shicldsboro  and  other 
Gulf  ports,  was  lying  idl}'  along  the  sides  of  the 
canal,  awaiting  a  fair  wind  to  assist  them  in  mak- 
ing the  return  trip. 

I  rowed  out  of  the  canal  on  to  the  lake;  but 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  211 

findinof  that  the  stronof  wind  and  roufrh  waves 
were  too  much  for  my  boat,  I  beat  a  hasty  re- 
treat into  the  port  of  refuge,  and,  securing  my 
bow-Hne  to  a  pile,  and  my  stern-line  to  the  bob- 
stay  of  a  wood-schooner,  the  "  Felicite,"  I  pre- 
pared to  ride  out  the  gale  under  her  bow.  The 
skippers  of  the  little  fleet  were  very  civil  men. 
Some  of  them  were  of  French  and  some  of 
Spanish  origin,  while  one  or  two  were  Germans. 
My  charts  interested  them  greatly;  for  though 
they  had  navigated  their  vessels  for  years  upon 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  they  had  never  seen  a  chart; 
and  their  astonishment  was  unbounded  when  I 
described  to  them  the  bottom  of  the  sea  for  live 
hundred  miles  to  the  eastward,  over  a  route  I 
had  never  travelled. 

Night  settled  down  upon  us,  and,  as  the  wind 
lulled,  the  evening  became  lovely.  Soon  the 
quiet  hamlet  changed  to  a  scene  of  merriment, 
as  the  gay  people  of  the  city  drove  out  in  their 
carriages  to  have  a  "  lark^^  as  the  sailors  ex- 
pressed it;  and  which  seemed  to  begin  at  the 
hotels  with  card-playing,  dancing,  drinking,  and 
swearino^,  and  to  end  in  a  oreneral  carousal. 
Men  and  women  joined  alike  in  the  disreputa- 
ble scene,  though  I  was  informed  that  this  was 
a  respectable  circle  of  society,  compared  with 
some  which  at  times  enlivened  the  neiijhbor- 
hood  of  Lake  Pontchartrain.  Thinking  of  the 
wonderful  grades  of  society,  I  tried  to  sleep  in 


212  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

m}^  boat,  not  imagining  that  my  peace  was  soon 
to  be  invaded  by  the  lowest  layer  of  that  social 
strata. 

In  spite  of  all  my  precautions  an  article  had 
appeared  that  day  in  a  New  Orleans  paper  giv- 
ing a  somewhat  incorrect  account  of  my  vo3'age 
from  Pittsburo^h.  The  bettins^  circles  hearinsf 
that  there  was  no  bet  upon  my  rowing  feat,- — 
if  such  a  modest  and  unadventurous  voyage 
could  be  called  a  feat,  —  decided  that  there 
must  be  some  mystery  connected  with  it;  and 
political  strife  being  uppermost  in  all  men's 
minds,  strangers  were  looked  upon  with  suspi- 
cion, while  rumors  of  m}^  being  a  national  gov- 
ernment spy  found  ready  belief  with  the  ignorant. 
Such  a  man  would  be  an  unwelcome  visitor  in 
the  troubled  districts  Avhere  the  "  bull-dozinof " 
system  was  compelling  the  enfranchised  negro 
to  vote  the  "right  ticket."  I  had  received  an 
intimation  of  this  feeling  in  the  city,  and  had 
exerted  myself  to  leave  the  neighborhood  that 
day;  but  the  treacherous  east  wind  had  left  me 
in  a  most  unprotected  locality,  floating  in  a  nar- 
row canal,  at  the  mercy  of  a  lot  of  strange  sail- 
ors. The  sailor,  though,  has  a  generous  heart, 
and  usually  demands  fair  play,  while  there  is  a 
natui-al  antagonism  between  him  and  a  landsman. 
I  was,  so  to  speak,  one  of  them,  and  felt  pretty 
sure  that  in  case  of  any  demonstration,  honest 
^^  yack    Tar'''^  would   prove   himself  my  friend. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  213 

It  seemed  at  one  time  as  though  such  an  occa- 
sion was  imminent. 

First  came  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  dis- 
tance; then,  as  they  came  nearer,  I  heard  such 
questions  as,  "Where  is  the  feller?"  "Show  us 
his  boat,  and'we'll  soon  tell  if  he's  a  humbug! "' 
"We'll  put  a  head  on  him! ""  &c.  All  these  ex- 
pressions being  interlarded  with  oaths  and  foul 
language,  gave  any  but  a  pleasant  prospect  of 
what  was  to  be  looked  for  at  the  hands  of  these 
city  roughs,  who  clambered  nimbly  on  to  the 
deck  of  the  Felicite  to  inquire  for  my  where- 
abouts. 

The  darkness  seemed  to  shield  me  from  their 
sight,  and  my  good  friend,  the  skipper  of  the 
wood-schooner,  did  not  volunteer  much  infor- 
mation as  they  stood  upon  his  forecastle  only 
a  few  feet  above  m}'-  head.  He  told  them  they 
were  on  a  fool's  errand,  if  they  came  there  to 
ask  questions  about  a  man  who  was  minding 
his  own  business.  The  sailors  all  backed  him, 
and  the  cook  grew  so  bold  as  to  consign  the 
whole  crowd,  without  mercy,  to  a  place  too  hot 
for  ears  polite. 

Swaggering  and  swearing,  the  roughs  went 
ashore  to  refresh  their  thirsty  throats  at  a  low 
grog-shop.  Having  tired  up.  they  soon  returned 
to  the  bank  of  the  canal,  and,  as  ill  luck  would 
have  it,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  caught  a 
gleam  of  my  little  white  boat  resting  so  peace- 


214  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

fully  Upon  the  foul  water  of  the  canal,  made 
dark  and  heavy  by  the  city's  drainage.  Then 
followed  verbal  shots,  with  various  demonstra- 
tions, for  half  an  hour. 

The  worst  fellow  in  the  crowd  was  a  member 
of  a  fire-company,  and  being  a  city  policeman 
was  supposed  to  be  a  protector  of  the  peace. 
He  was  very  insulting;  but  I  turned  his  ques- 
tions and  suspicions  into  ridicule,  and,  fortu- 
nately for  me,  he  so  often  fell  back  upon  the 
groggery  for  strength  to  fire  away,  that  he  was 
finally  overpowered,  and  was  given  into  the  care 
of  his  bosom-fi'iend,  another  blackguard,  who 
dragged  him  tenderly  from  the  scene.  All  this 
time  the  cook  of  the  schooner  had  his  hot  water 
in  readiness,  threatening  to  scald  the  roughs  if 
they'  succeeded  in  getting  down  to  my  boat. 

At  last,  much  to  my  relief,  the  whole  party 
went  off  to  "make  a  night  of  it,"  leaving  me 
in  the  care  of  my  protectors  on  the  schooner, 
who  had  been  busy  deciding  what  they  should 
do  in  case  of  any  assault  being  made  on  me  by 
the  roughs,  and  showing  their  brawny  arms  in 
a  menacinor  manner  when  the  worst  threats 
reached  their  ears. 

I  did  not  know  this  at  the  time,  but  as  I 
looked  cautiously  around  after  the  unwelcome 
guests  had  left,  I  saw  a  watchman  standing  on 
•the  forecastle  of  the  Felicite,  looking  anxiously 
to  the  safety  of  the  little  white  craft  that  by  a 


^. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  215 

slender  cord  held  on  to  his  vessel.  All  through 
the  hours  of  that  lonsf  nio^ht  the  kind-hearted 
master  paced  his  deck;  and  then,  as  the  sun 
arose,  and  the  damp  vapors  settled  to  the  earth, 
he  hailed  me  with  a  pleasant  "good  morning;" 
and  added,  "if those  devils  had  jumped  on  you 
last  night  I  was  to  give  one  yell,  and  the  whole 
fleet  would  have  been  on  top  o'  'em,  and  w^e  would 
have  backed  every  man's  head  down  his  own 
throat."  This  would  have  been,  I  thought,  a 
singular  but  most  eftective  way  of  settling  the 
dithcult}^,  and  a  novel  mode  of  thinning  out  the 
city  police  and  fire  department. 

During  the  day  I  was  visited  by  a  young 
northerner  who  had  been  for  some  time  in  New 
Orleans,  but  was  very  anxious  to  return  to  his 
home  in  Massachusetts.  He  had  no  money,  but 
thought  if  I  w^ould  allow  him  to  accompany  me 
as  far  as  Florida  he  could  ship  as  sailor  from  some 
port  on  a  vessel  bound  for  New  York  or  Boston. 
Feeling  sorry  for  the  man  who  was  homeless  in 
a  strange  city,  and  finding  he  possessed  some 
experience  in  salt-water  navigation,  I  acceded 
to  his  request.  Having  purchased  of  the  harbor- 
master. Captain  M.  H.  Riddle,  a  light  boat,  which 
was  sharp  at  both  ends,  and  possessed  the  degree 
of  sheer  necessary  for  seaworthiness,  the  next 
thing  in  order  was  to  make  some  important 
alterations  in  her,  such  as  changing  the  thwarts, 
putting  on  half-decks,  &c.     As  this  labor  would 


2l6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

detain  me  in  the  unpleasant  neighborhood,  I  de- 
termined to  secrete  my  own  boat  from  the  public 
gaze.  To  accomplish  this,  while  favored  by  the 
darkness  of  night,  I  ran  it  into  a  side  canal, 
where  the  watchman  of  the  New  Lake  End 
Protection  Levee  lived  in  a  floating  house.  The 
duck-boat  was  drawn  out  of  the  water  on  to  a 
low  bank  of  the  levee,  and  was  then  covered  w^ith 
reeds.  So  perfectly  was  my  little  craft  secreted, 
that  when  a  party  of  roughs  came  out  to  inter- 
view the  "  government  spy,"  they  actually  stood 
beside  the  boat  while  inquiring  of  the  watchman 
for  its  locality  without  discovering  it. 

I  now  slept  in  peace  at  night;  but  during  the 
day,  while  working  upon  the  new  boat  in  an- 
other locality,  was  much  annoyed  by  curious 
persons,  who  hovered  around,  hoping  to  discover 
the  meaning  of  my  movements.  On  Saturday 
evening,  January  22,  I  completed  the  joining  and 
provisioning  of  the  new  skiff,  which  was  called, 
in  honor  of  the  harbor-master,  the  "  Riddle." 
The  small  local  population  about  the  mouth  of 
the  canal  was  in  a  great  state  of  excitement. 
The  fitting  out  of  the  "  Riddle  "  by  the  supposed 
"  government  spy  "  furnished  much  food  for  re- 
flection, and  new  rumors  were  set  afloat.  I 
passed  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  quietly  as 
possible  amid  the  gala  scenes  of  that  section 
w^hich  knows  no  Sunday.  All  day  long  car- 
riaojes  rolled  out  from   New    Orleans,  bringing 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  21'] 

rollicking  men  and  women  to  the  lake,  where, 
free  from  all  restraint,  the  daily  robe  of  hypoc- 
risy was  thrown  aside,  and  poor  humanity  ap- 
peared at  its  worst.  Little  squads  of  roughs 
came  also  at  intervals,  but  their  attempts  to  find 
me  or  my  boat  proved  fruitless. 

The  next  day  my  shipmate,  whom,  for  conven- 
ience, I  will  call  Saddles,  w\as  not  prepared  to 
leave,  as  previously  agreed  upon,  so  I  turned 
over  to  him  the  "  Riddle,"  her  outfit,  provisions, 
&c.,  and  instructed  him  to  follow  the  west  shore 
of  Lake  Pontchartrain  until  he  found  me,  prefer- 
ring to  trust  myself  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
Chinese  fishermen  —  whom  the  reader  will  re- 
member had  been  "  civilized  ""  —  rather  than  to 
linofer  loncrer  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  New 
Orleans  firemen  and  police  corps.  Saddles  had 
hunted  and  fished  upon  the  lake,  and  therefore 
felt  confident  he  could  easily  find  me  the  next 
day  at  Irish  Ba3^ou,  two  miles  beyond  the  low 
"  Point  aux  Herbes  "  Light-house. 

An  hour  before  noon,  on  Monday,  January  24, 
I  rowed  out  of  the  canal,  and  most  heartily  con- 
gratulated m3^self  upon  escaping  the  trammels  of 
too  much  civilization.  A  heavy  fog  covered  the 
lake  while  I  felt  my  way  along  the  shore,  passing 
the  Pontchartrain  railroad  pier.  The  shoal  bottom 
was  covered  with  stumps  of  trees,  and  the  coast 
was  low  and  swampy,  with  occasional  short, 
sandy  beaches.     My  progress  was  slow  on   ac- 


2l8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

count  of  the  fog;  and  at  five  p.  m.  I  went  into 
camp,  having  first  hauled  the  boat  on  to  the  land 
by  means  of  a  small  watch-tackle.  The  low 
country  was  covered  in  places  with  coarse  grass, 
and,  as  I  ate  my  supper  by  the  camp-fire,  swarms 
of  mosquitoes  attacked  me  w4th  such  impetuosity 
and  bloodthirstiness  that  I  was  glad  to  seek 
refuge  in  my  boat.  This  proved,  however,  only 
a  temporary  relief,  for  the  tormentors  soon  entered 
at  the  ventilating  space  between  the  combing  and 
hatch,  and  annoyed  me  so  persistently  that  I  was 
driven  to  believe  there  was  something  worse  than 
New  Orleans  roughs.  During  this  night  of  tor- 
ture I  heard  in  the  distance  the  sound  of  oars 
moving  in  the  oar-locks,  and  paused  for  an  in- 
stant in  the  battle  with  the  phlebotomists,  think- 
ing the  "  Riddle  "  might  be  coming,  but  all  sound 
seemed  hushed,  and  I  returned  to  my  dreary 
warfare. 

Not  waiting  to  prepare  breakfast  the  next 
morning,  I  left  the  prairie  shore,  and  rowed  rap- 
idly towards  Point  aux  Herbes.  At  the  light- 
house landing  I  found  Saddles,  with  his  boat 
drawn  up  on  shore.  He  had  followed  me  at 
four  and  a  half  p.  m.,  and  the  evening  being  clear, 
he  had  easily  reached  the  light-house  at  eleven 
p.  M.  on  the  same  night.  ^Nlr.  Belton,  the  light- 
keeper,  kept  bachelor's  hall  in  his  quarters,  and 
at  once  went  to  work  WMth  hearty  good-will  to 
prepare  a  breakfast  for  us,  to  which  we  did  lull 
justice. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  219 

At  eleven  a.  m.,  though  a  fog  shut  out  all  ob- 
jects from  our  sight,  I  set  a  boat  compass  before 
me  on  the  floor  of  my  craft,  and  saying  good-bye 
to  our  host,  we  struck  across  the  lake  in  a  course 
which  took  us  to  a  point  below  the  "  Rigolets," 
a  name  given  to  the  passages  in  the  marshes 
through  which  a  large  portion  of  the  water  of 
Lake  Pontchartrain  flows  into  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. The  marshes,  or  low  prairies,  which  con- 
fine the  waters  of  Lake  Pontchartrain,  are  ex- 
tensive. The  coarse  grass  grows  to  four  or  five 
feet  in  height,  and  in  it  coons,  wildcats,  minks, 
hogs,  and  even  rabbits,  find  a  home.  In  the 
ba3'Ous  wild-fowl  abound. 

The  region  is  a  favorite  one  with  hunters  and 
fishermen;  but  during  the  summer  months  alli- 
gators and  moccasin-snakes  are  abundant,  when 
it  behooves  one  to  be  wary.  Upon  some  of  the 
marshy  islands  of  the  Gulf,  outside  of  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain, wild  hogs  are  to  be  found.  In  1S53  it 
became  known  that  an  immense  wild  boar  lived 
upon  the  Chandeleur  Islands.  He  was  frequent- 
ly hunted,  and  though  struck  by  the  balls  shot  at 
him,  escaped  uninjured,  his  tough  hide  proving 
an  impenetrable  barrier  to  all  assaults.  There 
is  always,  however,  some  vulnerable  point  to  be 
found,  and  in  1874  some  Spanish  fisherman,  tak- 
ing an  undue  advantage  of  his  boarship,  shot  him 
in   the   eye,  and  then  clubbed  him  to  death. 

The  Rigolets  are  at  the  eastern  end  of  Lake 


220  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Pontchartrain.  Their  northern  side  skirts  the 
main  land,  while  their  south  side  is  bounded  by 
marshy  islands.  As  we  rowed  through  this 
outlet  of  the  lake,  Fort  Pike,  with  its  grassy 
banks,  arose  picturesquely  on  our  right  from  its 
site  on  a  knoll  of  high  ground.  Outside  of  the 
Rio^olets  we  entered  an  arm  of  the  Gulfof  ]Mex- 
ico,  called  Lake  Borgne,  the  shores  of  w^hich  were 
desolate,  and  formed  extensive  marshes  cut  up  by 
creeks  and  bayous  into  many  small  islands. 

As  it  was  late  in  the  day,  we  ran  our  two  boats 
into  a  bayou  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rigolets,  and 
prepared,  under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  to 
rest  for  the  night.  The  atmosphere  was  soft  and 
mild,  the  evening  was  perfect.  The  great  sheet 
of  Avater  extended  far  to  the  east.  On  the  south 
it  was  bounded  by  marshes.  A  long,  low 
prairie  coast  stretched  away  on  the  north;  it 
was  the  southern  end  of  the  state  of  Mississippi. 
The  licjht-houses  flashed  their  brio-ht  beacon- 
lights  over  the  water.  All  was  tranquil  save  the 
ever-pervading,  persistent  mosquito.  Thousands 
of  these  insects,  of  the  largest  size  and  of  the 
most  pertinacious  character,  came  out  of  the  high 
grass  and  "  made  night  hideous." 

We  had  not  provided  ourselves  with  a  tent, 
and  no  artifice  on  our  part  could  protect  us  from 
these  torments;  so,  vainly  dealing  blows  right 
and  left,  we  discussed  the  oft-mooted  point  of  the 
mosquito's  usefulness  to  mankind.     We  lords  of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  221 

creation  believe  that  evervthini^  is  made  for  the 
gratification  of  man,  even  thinking  at  one  time,  in 
our  ignorance,  that  the  beautiful  colors  of  flowers 
served  no  other  end,  than  to  gratify  the  sense 
of  sight.  But  this  fancy,  made  beautiful  b}'  the 
songs  of  our  poets,  has  been  dealt  with  as  the 
man  of  science  must  ever  deal  with  stubborn 
facts,  and  the  utility  as  well  as  the  beauty  of  these 
exquisite  hues  have  been  discovered.  The  colors 
in  the  petals  of  the  flowers  attract  certain  insects, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  fertilize  the  flowers  by  dusting 
the  pistils  with  the  pollen  of  the  ripe  anthers,  some 
being  attracted  by  one   color,  some  by  another. 

Flowery  thoughts  were  not,  however,  in 
keeping  with  the  miserable  state  of  mental 
and  ph3'sical  restlessness  induced  by  the  irritat- 
ing mosquito,  and  its  usefulness  seeined  to  be  a 
necessary  thought  to  make  me  patient  as  I  lay 
like  a  mumm}',  enveloped  in  my  blankets.  The 
coons  were  fighting  and  squealing  around  my 
boat,  which  lay  snugly  ensconced  in  a  ba3'ou 
among  the  reeds,  for,  once  under  my  hatch-cover, 
the  presence  of  man  was  unheeded  by  these  ani- 
mals, and  they  sportivel}'  turned  my  deck  into  a 
species  of  amphitheatre. 

The  vices  and  virtues  of  the  mosquito  may  be 
summed  up  in  a  few  words,  always  remember- 
ing that  it  is  the  female,  and  not  the  male,  to 
whom  humanity  is  indebted  for  lessons  of  pa- 
tience.     The    female    mosquito    deposits    about 


222  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

three  hundred  eggs,  nearly  the  shape  of  a  grain 
of  wheat,  arranging  and  gluing  them  perpendic- 
ularly side  by  side,  until  the  whole  resembles  a 
solid,  canoe-like  bod}^,  which  floats  about  on  the 
surface  of  the  water.  Press  this  little  boat  of 
eggs  deep  into  the  water,  and  its  buoyancy  causes 
it  to  rise  immediately  to  the  surface,  where  it 
maintains  its  true  position  of  a  well-ballasted 
craft,  right  side  up.  The  warmth  of  the  sun, 
tempered  with  the  moisture  of  the  water,  soon 
hatches  the  eggs,  and  the  larva,  as  wigglers  or 
wrigglers,  descend  to  the  bottom  of  the  quiet 
pool,  and  feed  upon  the  decaying  vegetable  mat- 
ter. It  moves  actively  through  the  stagnant 
water  in  its  passage  to  the  surface,  aerifying  it, 
and  at  the  same  time  doing  faithfully  its  work  as 
scavenger  by  consuming  vegetable  germs  and 
putrefying  matter.  Professor  G.  F.  Sanborn, 
and  other  leading  American  entomologists,  assert 
that  the  mosquito  saves  from  twenty-five  to  forty 
per  cent,  in  our  death-list  among  those  who  are 
exposed  to  malarial  influences. 

With  malaria,  the  curse  of  large  districts  in 
the  United  States,  sowing  its  evil  seeds  broad- 
cast in  our  land,  and  daily  closing  its  iron  grasp 
upon  its  victims,  who  could  wish  for  the  ex- 
termination of  so  useful  an  insect  as  the  mos- 
quito? 

When  the  larva  reaches  the  surface  of  the 
water,  it  inhales,  through  a  delicate  tube  at  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  223 

lower  end  of  its  body,  all  the  air  necessary  for  its 
respiration.  Having  lived  three  or  four  weeks 
in  the  water,  during  which  time  it  has  entered 
the  pupa  state,  the  original  skin  is  cast  off,  and 
the  insect  is  transformed  into  a  different  and  more 
perfect  state.  A  few  days  later  the  epidermis  of 
the  pupa  falls  off,  and  floats  upon  the  water,  and 
upon  this  light  raft  the  insect  dries  its  body  in  the 
warm  rays  of  the  sun ;  its  damp  and  heavy  form 
grows  lighter  and  more  ethereal;  it  slowly 
spreads  its  delicate  wings  to  dry,  and  soon  rises 
into  the  clear  ether  a  perfected  being. 

The  male  mosquitoes  retire  to  the  woods,  and 
lead  an  indolent,  harmless  life  among  the  flowers 
and  damp  leaves.  They  are  not  provided  with 
a  lancet,  and  consequently  do  not  feed  upon  blood, 
but  suck  up  moisture  through  the  little  tubes  na^ 
ture  has  given' them  for  that  purpose.  They  are 
a  quiet,  well-behaved  race,  and  do  not  even  sing; 
both  the  music  and  the  stinsr  being;  reserved  for 
the  other  sex.  They  rarely  enter  the  abodes  of 
man,  and  may  be  easily  identified  by  their  heavy, 
feathery  antennae  and  long  maxillary  palpi. 

Unfortunately  for  mankind,  the  female  mos- 
quito possesses  a  most  elaborate  instrument  of 
torture.  She  first  Avarns  us  of  her  presence  by 
the  buzzing  sound  we  know  so  well,  and  then 
settling  upon  her  victim,  thrusts  into  the  quiver- 
ing flesh  five  sharp  organs,  one  of  which  is  a 
delicate  lancet.    These  organs,  taken  in  one  mass, 


2  24  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

are  called  the  beak,  or  bill  of  the  insect.  A 
writer  says:  "The  bill  has  a  blunt  fork  at  the 
end,  and  is  apparently  grooved.  Working  through 
the  groove,  and  projecting  from  the  centre  of  the 
angle  of  the  fork,  is  a  lance  of  perfect  form, 
sharpened  with  a  fine  bevel.  Beside  it  the  most 
perfect  lance  looks  like  a  handsaw.  On  either 
side  of  this  lance  two  saws  are  arranged,  with  the 
points  fine  and  sharp,  and  the  teeth  well-defined 
and  keen.  The  backs  of  these  saws  play  against 
the  lance.  When  the  mosquito  alights,  with  its 
peculiar  hum,  it  thrusts  in  its  keen  lance,  and  then 
enlarges  the  aperture  with  the  two  saws,  which 
play  beside  the  lance,  until  the  forked  bill,  with 
its  capillary  arrangement  for  pumping  blood,  can 
be  inserted.  The  sawing  process  is  what  grates 
upon  the  nerves  of  the  victim,  and  causes  him  to 
strike  wildly  at  the  sawyer.  The  irritation  of  a 
mosquito's  bite  is  undoubtedly  owing  to  these 
saws.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  mosquito  keeps 
her  surgical  instruments  clean,  otherwise  it  might 
be  a  means  of  propagating  blood  diseases." 

While  the  mosquito  is  a  sort  of  parasite.  Pro- 
fessor Sanborn,  the  "  Consulting  Naturalist  "  of 
Andover,  Massachusetts,  informs  me  that  he  has 
discovered  as  many  as  four  or  five  parasitical 
worms  pre3''ing  upon  the  inside  tissues  of  the 
minute  beak  of  the  insect. 

When  the  young  female  mosquito  emerges 
from  the  water,  she  lays  her  eggs  in  the  way  de- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  225 

scribed,  and  her  offspring  following  in  time  her 
example,  several  broods  are  raised  in  a  single 
season.  Many  of  the  old  ones  die  off,  but  a  suf- 
ficient number  hybernate  under  the  bark  of  trees 
and  in  dwelling-houses,  to  perpetuate  the  species 
in  the  early  spring  months  of  the  following 
year. 

Another  insect  scavenger,  found  along  the  low 
shores  of  the  Gulf,  is  the  blow-fly,  and  one  very 
useful  to  man.  Of  one  species  of  this  insect  the 
distinguished  naturalist  Reaumur  has  asserted 
that  the  progeny  of  a  single  female  will  consume 
the  carcass  of  a  horse  in  the  same  time  that  it 
will  require  a  lion  to  devour  it.  This  singular 
statement  may  be  explained  in  the  following 
way.  The  female  fly  discovers  the  body  of  a 
dead  horse,  and  deposits  (as  one  species  does) 
her  six  hundred  eggs  upon  it.  In  twenty-four 
hours  these  eggs  will  hatch,  producing  about 
three  hundred  female  larva,  which  feed  upon  the 
flesh  of  the  horse  for  about  three  days,  when  they 
attain  the  perfected  state  of  flies.  The  three  hun- 
dred female  flies  will  in  their  turn  deposit  some 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  eggs,  which  become 
in  four  days  an  army  of  devourers,  and  thus  in 
about  twelve  days,  under  favorable  circumstances, 
the  flesh  is  consumed  by  the  progeny  of  one  pair 
of  flies  in  the  same  time  that  a  lion  would  devour 
the  carcass. 

Our  sleepless  night  coming  at  last  to   an  end, 

15 


2  26  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

we  rowed,  at  dawn,  along  the  prairie  shores  of  the 
northern  coast  towards  the  open  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Back  of  the  prairies  the  forests  rose  like  a  green 
wall  in  the  distance.  A  heavy  fog  settled  down 
upon  the  water  and  drove  us  into  camp  upon  the 
prairie,  where  we  endured  again  the  torture  caused 
by  the  myriads  of  bloodthirsty  mosquitoes,  and 
were  only  too  glad  to  make  an  early  start  the  next 
morning.  A  steady  pull  at  the  oars  brought  us 
to  the  end  of  a  long  cape  in  the  marshes.  About 
a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  land's  end  we  saw  a 
marshy  island,  of  three  or  four  acres  in  extent, 
out  of  the  grass  of  which  arose  a  small  wooden 
light-house,  resting  securely  upon  its  bed  of  piles. 
There  was  a  broad  gallery  around  the  low  tower, 
and  seeing  the  light-keeper  seated  under  the 
shadow  of  its  roof,  we  pulled  out  to  sea,  hoping 
to  obtain  information  from  him  as  to  the  "  lay  of 
the  land."  It  was  the  Light  of  St.  Joseph,  and 
here,  isolated  from  their  fellow-men,  lived  Mr. 
H.  G.  Plunkett  and  his  assistant  light-keeper. 

They  were  completel}'  surrounded  by  water, 
which  at  hio^h  tide  submerged  their  entire  is- 
land.  Mr.  Butler,  the  assistant  light-keeper,  was 
absent  at  the  village  of  Bay  St.  Louis,  on  the 
northern  shore.  The  principal  keeper  begged  us 
to  wait  until  he  could  cook  us  a  dinner,  but  the 
rising  south-east  wind  threatened  a  rough  sea, 
and  warned  us  to  hasten  back  to  the  land.  The 
keeper,  standing  on  his  galler}',  pointed  out  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  227 

villao-e  of  Shieldsboro,  nine  miles  distant,  on  the 
north  coast,  and  we  plainly  saw  its  w^hite  cottages 
glimmering  among  the  green  trees. 

jNIr.  Plunkett  advised  us  not  to  return  to  the 
coast  which  we  had  just  left,  as  it  would  necessi- 
tate following  a  long  contour  of  the  shore  to  reach 
Shieldsboro,  but  assured  us  that  we  could  row 
nine  miles  in  a  straight  course  across  the  open 
Gulf  to  the  north  coast  without  difficulty.  He 
argued  that  the  risincr  wind  was  a  fair  one  for  our 
boats;  and  that  a  two  hours'  strong  pull  at  the 
oars  would  enable  us  to  reach  a  good  camping- 
place  on  high  ground,  while  if  we  took  the  safer 
but  more  roundabout  route, .it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  arrive  at  the  desired  port  that  night,  and 
w^e  w^ould  again  be  compelled  to  camp  upon  the 
low  prairies.  We  knew  what  that  meant;  and 
to  escape  another  sleepless  night  in  the  mosquito 
lowland,  we  were  ready  to  take  almost  any 
risk. 

Having  criticall}-  examined  our  oar-locks,  and 
carefully  ballasted  our  boats,  we  pulled  into  the 
rough  water.  The  light-keeper  shouted  encour- 
agingly to  us  from  his  high  porch,  "You'll  get 
across  all  right,  and  will  have  a  good  camp  to- 
night! "  For  a  long  time  we  worked  carefully 
at  our  oars,  our  little  shells  now  rising  on  the 
high  crest  of  a  combing  sea,  now  sinking  deep 
into  the  trough,  when  one  of  us  could  catch  only 
a  glimpse  of  his  companion's  head.    As  the  wind 


228  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX. 

increased,  and  the  sea  became  white  with  caps, 
it  required  the  greatest  care  to  keep  our  boats 
from  fining.  The  light-keeper  continued  to 
watch  us  through  his  telescope,  fearing  his 
counsel,  had  been  ill-advised.  At  times  we 
oflanced  over  our  shoulders  at  the  white  sand- 
banks  and  forest-crowned  coasts  of  Shieldsboro 
and  Bay  St.  Louis,  which  were  gradually  rising 
to  our  view,  higher  and  higher  above  the  tide. 
The  piers  of  the  summer  watering-places,  some 
of  them  one  thousand  feet  in  length,  ran  out 
into  shoal  water.  iVgainst  these  the  waves  beat 
in  fury,  enveloping  the  abutments  in  clouds  of 
white  spray.  When  within  a  mile  of  Shields- 
boro the  ominous  thundering  of  the  surf,  pound- 
ing upon  the  shelving  beach  of  hard  sand, 
warned  us  of  the  difficulty  to  be  experienced 
in  passing  through  the  breakers  to  the   land. 

It  was  a  very  shoal  coast,  and  the  sea  broke 
in  long  swashy  waves  upon  it.  If  we  succeeded 
in  getting  through  the  deeper  surf,  we  would 
stick  fast  in  six  inches  of  water  on  the  bot- 
tom, and  would  not  be  able  to  get  much  nearer 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  dry  land.  Then, 
if  we  grounded  only  for  a  moment,  the  break- 
ing waves  would  wash  completely  over  our 
boats. 

Having  no  idea  of  being  WTecked  upon  the 
shoals,  I  put  the  duck-boat's  bow,  with  apron 
set,   towards    the    combing  waves,   and    let  her 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  229 

drift  in  shore  stern  foremost  The  instant  the 
heel  of  the  boat  touched  the  bottom,  I  pulled 
rapidly  seaward,  and  in  this  way  felt  the  ap- 
proaches to  land  in  various  channels  many  times 
without  shipping  a  sea. 

Saddles  kept  in  the  offing,  in  readiness  to 
come  to  my  assistance  if  needed.  It  became 
evident  that  we  could  not  land  without  filling 
our  boats  with  water,  so  we  hauled  off  to  sea, 
and  took  the  trough  easterly,  until  we  had  passed 
the  villages  of  Shieldsboro  and  Bay  St.  Louis, 
when,  like  a  port  of  refuge,  the  bay  of  St.  Louis 
opened  its  wide  portals,  which  we  entered  with 
alacrit}',  and  were  soon  snugly  camped  in  a  heavy 
grove  of  oaks  and  yellow  pines.  Here  we 
found  an  ample  supply  of  dry  wood  and  fresh 
water,  with  wild  ducks  feeding  within  easy  gun- 
shot of  our  quarters.  There  were  no  mosqui- 
toes, and  that  fact  alone  rewarded  us  for  our 
exertions  and  anxieties. 

It  was  after  live  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and, 
sitting  over  our  cheerful  camp-tire,  we  had  lit- 
tle thousfht  of  the  scene  being  enacted  on  the 
ground  we  had  just  gone  over.  The  light- 
keeper  was  still  at  his  post,  not  anxious  now 
'about  our  little  craft;  but,  peering  through  the 
fast  gathering  gloom,  he  turned  his  telescope  in 
the  direction  where  he  expected  to  find  the  boat 
of  his  assistant.  He  soon  saw  a  tiny  speck, 
which  ofrew  more  and  more  distinct  each  mo- 


230  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ment  as  it  rose  and  fell  upon  the  waves,  beat- 
ing against  a  head  wind,  with  sails  set,  and 
coming  from  Bay  St.  Louis  to  St.  Joseph's 
Light.  It  was  the  boat  he  expected;  and,  ad- 
justing his  glass,  he  awaited  her  arrival. 

The  cheery  light  shot  its  pellucid  rays  over 
the  dark  water,  inviting  the  little  sail-boat  to  a 
safe  harbor,  while  the  mariner  hopefully  wtcs- 
tled  with  the  wind  and  sea,  thinking  it  would 
soon  be  over,  and  his  precious  cargo  (for  his 
wife,  her  friend,  and  his  three  children  were  on 
board)  safely  landed  upon  the  island,  where 
they  could  look  calmly  back  upon  the  perils 
of  the  deep. 

Bravely  the  boat  breasted  the  sea.  It  was 
within  three  miles  of  the  light,  though  hardly 
visible  in  the  gloom  to  the  watchful  eye  of  the 
light-keeper  on  his  gallery,  when  Butler  at- 
tempted to  go  upon  another  tack.  Twice  he 
tried,  twice  he  failed,  when,  making  a  third  at- 
tempt, the  boom  of  the  sail  jibed,  and  instantly 
the  boat  capsized.  The  disappearance  of  the 
sail  from  his  horizon  told  the  man  upon  the 
gallery  of  the  peril  of  his  friends,  and  quickly 
launching  a  boat,  he  proceeded  rapidly  to  the 
scene  of  disaster. 

He  found  the  two  women  clino-inof  to  the 
boat,  and  rescued  them;  but  the  man  and  his 
three  children  were  drowned.  A  week  later, 
the  body  of  the  assistant  keeper  with  that  of  his 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  23 1 

oldest  child  were  washed  up  upon  the  beach; 
the  others  were  doubtless  thrown  up  on  some 
lonely  coast  and  devoured  by  wild  hogs  or 
buzzards. 

Four  months  later,  some  fishermen,  Avhile 
hauling  their  seine,  found  the  boat  imbedded 
in  the  sand,  in  about  eight  feet  of  water.  Thus 
the  treacherous  sea  is  ever  ready  to  swallow  in 
its  insatiable  maw  those  who  love  it  and  trust 
to   its  ever  varying  moods. 

The  gale  confined  us  to  our  camp  for  three 
days,  during  which  time  we  roamed  through  the 
beautiful  semi-tropical  woods,  cooked  savory 
meals,  and,  lying  idly  near  our  fire,  watched  the 
fish  leap  from  the  water.  While  in  our  retreat, 
Dame  Nature  favored  us  with  one  sharp  frost, 
but  it  was  not  sufficiently  severe  to  injure  vege- 
tation. 

On  Monday,  January  31,  we  left  the  beauti- 
ful bay,  and  rounding  Henderson's  Point,  pulled 
an  easterly  course  on  the  open  Gulf,  along  the 
shores  of  the  village  of  Pass  Christian,  which, 
like  the  other  summer  watering-places  of  this 
part  of  the  Gulf  coast,  was  made  conspicuous 
from  the  water  by  the  many  long  light  piers, 
built  of  rough  pine  poles,  which  extended,  in 
some  cases,  several  hundred  feet  into  the  shoal 
water.  Upon  the  end  of  almost  ever}'  pier  was 
the  bath-house  of  the  owner  of  some  cottafre. 
The   bathers   descended  a  ladder  placed   under 


232  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

the  bath-house  to  the  salt  water  below.  The 
area  beneath  each  house  was  enclosed  by  slats, 
or  poles,  nailed  to  the  piling,  to  secure  the 
bathers  from  the  sharks,  which  are  numerous 
in  these  waters. 

Two  of  these  ferocious  creatures  were  having 
a  fierce  combat,  in  about  four  feet  depth  of  water, 
as  we  rowed  off  Pass  Christian.  This  coast  is  des- 
titute of  marshes,  and  has  long  sandy  beaches,  with 
heavy  pine  and  oak  forests  in  the  background. 
The  bathing  is  excellent,  and  is  appreciated  by 
the  people  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi,  who 
resort  here  in  large  numbers  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  All  the  hotels  and  cottages  of 
these  sea-girt  villages  are,  however,  closed  dur- 
ing the  Avinter,  just  the  time  of  the  year  when 
the  climate  is  delightful,  and  shooting  and  fish= 
ing  at  their  best. 

From  Lake  Pontchartrain  to  Mobile  Bay,  a 
distance  of  more  than  one  hundred  statute  miles 
in  a  straight  line,  there  extends  a  chain  of 
islands,  situated  from  seven  to  ten  miles  south 
of  the  main  coast,  and  known  respectively  as 
Cat  Island,  Sloop  Island,  Horn  Island,  Petit 
Bois  Island,  and  Dauphine  Island.  The  vast 
watery  area  between  the  mainland  and  these 
islands  is  known  as  Mississippi  Sound,  be- 
cause the  southern  end  of  the  large  state  of 
Mississippi  forms  its  principal  northern  boun- 
dary.     The    Chandeleur  and    many    other    low 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  233 

marshy  islands  lie  to  the  south  of  the  above- 
named  chain. 

Northern  yachtmen  can  pass  a  pleasant  winter 
in  these  waters.  The  tishinsr  along-  the  Gulf 
coast  is  excellent.  Not  having  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  identify  their  scientific  nomenclature,  I 
can  give  only  the  common  names  by  which  many 
species  of  these  fish  are  known  to  the  native 
fishermen.  Among  those  found  are  red-fish, 
Spanish  mackerel,  speckled  trout,  black  trout, 
blue-fish,  mullet,  sheep's-head,  croakers,  floun- 
ders, and  the  aristocratic  pompano.  Crabs  and 
eels  are  taken  round  the  piers  in  large  numbers, 
"w^hile  delicious  shrimps  are  captured  in  nets 
by  the  bushel,  and  oysters  are  daily  brought 
in  from  their  natural  beds.  The  fish  are  kept 
alive  in  floating  wells  until  the  cook  is  ready 
to  receive  them. 

Venison  is  sold  in  the  markets  at  a  very  low 
price,  while  the  neighboring  gardens  supply  all 
our  summer  vegetables  during  the  winter  months. 
I  thought,  while  we  rowed  along  this  attractive 
coast  in  the  balmy  atmosphere,  with  everything 
brightened  and  beautified  by  the  early  moon, 
how  manv  were  suffering  in  our  northern  cities 
from  various  forms  of  pulmonary  troubles  in- 
duced by  the  severe  winter  weather,  while  here, 
in  a  delightful  climate,  with  everything  to  make 
man  comfortable,  private  houses  and  hotels  were 
closed,  and  the  life-giving  air  blowing  upon  the 


234  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

sandy  coast,  from  the  open  Gulf  of  Mexico,  dy- 
ing softly  away  unheeded  by  those  who  so  much 
needed  its  healino^  influences.  This  resfion, 
being  entirely  free  from  the  dampness  of  the 
inland  rivers  of  Florida,  and  having  excellent 
communication  by  rail  with  the  North  and  New 
Orleans,  offers  every  advantage  as  a  winter  re- 
sort, and  will  doubtless  become  popular  in  that 
way  as  its  merits  are  better  known. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  passed 
the  Biloxi  light-house,  and  decided,  as  the  night 
was  serene  and  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  tranquil, 
to  run  under  one  of  the  bath-houses,  and  there 
enjoy  our  rest,  not  caring  to  enter  a  strange  vil- 
lage at  that  hour.  The  piling  of  some  of  the  piers 
was  destitute  of  the  usual  shark  barricade,  and 
selecting  two  of  these  inviting  retreats,  we  pushed 
in  our  boats,  moored  them  to  the  piles,  and  were 
soon  fast  asleep. 

About  daybreak  the  weather  changed,  and  the 
sea  came  rolling  in,  pitching  us  about  in  the 
narrow  enclosure  in  a  fearful  manner.  The 
water  had  risen  so  high  that  we  could  not  get 
out  of  our  pens;  so,  climbing  into  the  bath- 
rooms above,  we  held  on  to  the  bow  and  stern 
lines  of  our  boats,  endeavoring  to  keep  them 
from  being  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  pilings 
of  the  pier.  While  in  this  mortifying  predica- 
ment, expecting  each  moment  to  see  our  faith- 
ful  little  skiflEs  wrecked    most   ingloriously  in   a 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  235 

bath-house,  sounds  were  heard  and  some  men 
appeared,  who,  coming  to  our  assistance,  proved 
themselves  friends  in  need.  We  fished  the  boats 
out  of  the  pen  with  my  watch-tackle,  and  hoisted 
each  one  at  a  time  into  the  bath-house  that  had 
covered  it. 

Two  gentlemen  then  approached,  one  claim- 
ing Saddles  as  his  guest,  while  the  other,  Mr. 
J.  P.  Montross,  conducted  me  to  his  attractive 
tree-embowered  home;  and  with  the  soft  and 
winning  accent  of  an  educated  gentleman  of 
Yucatan,  the  country  of  his  birth,  placed  his 
house  and  belongings  at  my  disposal.  "  I  was 
in  New  Orleans  when  you  went  through  that 
city,"  he  said,  "and  learning  that  you  would 
pass  through  Biloxi,  I  at  once  telegraphed  to 
my  agent  here  to  detain  you  if  possible  as  my 
guest  until  I  should  arrive." 

We  remained  a  week  in  Biloxi,  where  I  be- 
came daily  more  and  more  impressed  with  the 
great  natural  advantages  of  these  Gulf  towns  as 
winter  watering-places  for  northern  invalids  or 
sportsmen.  During  one  of  my  rambles  about 
Biloxi,  I  stumbled  upon  a  curious  little  planta- 
tion, the  lessee  of  which  was  entirely  absorbed 
in  the  occupation  of  raising  water-cresses.  In 
Mr.  Scheffer's  garden,  which  was  about  half  an 
acre  in  extent,  I  found  fifteen  little  springs  flow- 
ing out  of  a  substratum  of  chalk.  The  water 
was    very   warm    and    clear,   while    the    springs 


236  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

varied  in  character.  There  was  a  chalk-spring, 
a  sulphur-spring,  and  an  iron-spring,  all  within 
a  few  feet  of  each  other.  The  main  spring 
flowed  out  of  the  ground  near  the  head,  or 
highest  part  of  the  garden,  while  ditches  of 
about  two  feet  in  width,  with  boarded  sides  to 
prevent  their  caving  in,  carried  the  water  of  the 
various  springs  to  where  it  was  needed. 

The  depth  of  w^ater  in  these  ditches  was  not 
over  eighteen  inches.  Their  preparation  is  very 
simple,  sand  to  the  depth  of  an  inch  or  two  being 
placed  at  the  bottom,  and  the  roots,  cuttings,  &c., 
of  the  cresses  dropped  into  them.  This  prolific 
plant  begins  at  once  to  multiply,  sending  up 
thousands  of  hair-like  shoots,  with  green  leaves 
floating  upon  the  surface  of  the  running  water. 
Mr.  Scheffer  informed  me  that  he  marketed  his 
stock  three  times  a  week,  cutting  above  water 
the  matured  plants,  and  putting  them  into  bun- 
dles, or  bunches,  of  about  six  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  then  packing  them  with  the  tops  down- 
ward in  barrels  and  baskets.  These  bunches 
of  cresses  sell  for  fifteen  cents  apiece  on  the 
ground  where  they  are  grown.  New  Orleans 
consumes  most  of  the  stock;  but  invalids  in  va- 
rious places  are  fast  becoming  customers,  as  the 
virtues  of  this  plant  are  better  understood.  It  is 
of  great  benefit  in  all  diseases  of  the  liver,  in 
pulmonary  complaints,  and  in  dyspepsia  with  its 
thousand  ills. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  237 

The  ditches  in  this  little  half-acre  garden, 
if  placed  in  a  continuous  line,  would  reach 
six  hundred  feet,  and  the  crop  increases  so  fast 
that  one  hundred  bunches  a  week  can  be  cut 
throughout  the  year.  The  hot  suns  of  summer 
injure  the  tender  cresses;  hence  butter-beans  are 
planted  along  the  ditches  to  shade  them.  The 
bean  soon  covers  the  light  trellis  which  is 
built  for  it  to  run  upon,  and  forms  an  airy 
screen  for  the  tender  plants.  During  the  au- 
tumn and  winter  months  the  lig-ht  frame-work 
is  removed,  and  sunlight  freely  admitted. 

Cresses  can  be  grown  with  little  trouble  in 
pure  water  of  the  proper  temperature;  and  as 
each  bed  is  replanted  but  once  a  year,  in  the 
month  of  October,  the  yield  is  large  and  prof- 
itable. 

The  intellio^ent  cultivator  of  this  water-cress 
garden  frequently  has  boarders  from  a  distance, 
who  reside  with  him  that  they  may  receive  the 
full  benefit  of  a  diet  of  tender  cresses  fresh 
from  the  running  water.  Few,  indeed,  know 
the  benefit  to  be  derived  from  such  a  diet,  or 
the  water-cress  garden  would  not  be  such  a  nov- 
elty to  Americans.  We,  as  a  nation,  take  fewer 
salads  with  our  meals  than  the  people  of  any  of 
the  older  sister-lands,  perhaps,  because  in  the 
rush  of  e very-day  life  we  have  not  time  to  eat 
them.  We  are,  at  the  same  time,  adding  largely 
each  3'ear  to  the  list   of  confirmed   dyspeptics, 


238  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

many  of  whom  might  be  saved  from  this  worst 
of  all  ills  by  a  persistent  use  of  the  fresh  water- 
cress, crisp  lettuce,  and  other  green  and  whole- 
some articles  of  food.  Such  advice  is,  however, 
of  little  use,  since  many  would  say,  like  a  gen- 
tleman I  once  met,  "Why,  I  would  rather  die 
than  diet!"  Three  hundred  feet  from  the  gar- 
den the  water  of  its  springs  flows  into  the  Gulf 
of  jNIexico,  the  waves  of  w^hich  beat  against  the 
clean  sandy  shore. 

Among  other  things  in  this  interesting  town, 
I  discovered  in  the  boat-house  belonging  to  the 
summer  residence  of  Mr.  C.  T.  Howard,  of 
New  Orleans,  John  C.  Cloud's  little  boat,  the 
'^^  JennieP  Strange  emotions  filled  my  mind 
as  I  gazed  upon  the  light  Delaware  River  skiff 
which  had  been  the  home  for  so  many  days 
of  that  unfortunate  actor,  whose  disastrous  end 
I   have  already  related  to  my  reader. 

The  boat  had  been  brought  from  Plaquemine 
Plantation  on  the  INIississippi  River  to  this  dis- 
tant point.  It  was  about  fifteen  feet  in  length, 
and  four  feet  wide  amidships.  She  was  sharp 
at  both  bow  and  stern,  and  was  almost  desti- 
tute of  sheer.  There  was  a  little  deck  at  each 
end,  and  the  usual  galvanized-iron  oar-locks, 
without  out-riggers,  while  upon  her  quarters 
were  painted  very  small  national  flags.  She 
was  built  of  white  pine,  and  was  very  light. 

Each    summer,    when    guests    are    at    Biloxi, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAFv-BOX. 


239 


sympathizing  groups  crowd  round  this  little 
skiff,  and  listen  to  the  oft-repeated  story  of  the 
poor  northerner  who  sacrificed  his  own  life 
while  engaged  in  the  attempt  to  win  a  bet  to 
support  his  large  and   destitute   family. 

Here  by  the  restless  sea,  which  seems  ever 
to  be  moaning  a  requiem  for  the  dead,  I  left 
the  little  ^'Jennie,"  a  monument  of  Ameri- 
can pluck,  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  mortifying 
instance  of  the  fruitlessness  of  our  national 
spirit  of  adventure  when  there  is  no  principle 
to  back  it. 


i^'' 


_^RRIVAL    AT     THE    jjULF    OF    ^VIeXICO.  CaMP     MoSC^UITO, 


240  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


CHAPTER    X. 

FROM   BILOXI    TO   CAPE    SAN    BLAS. 

POINTS  ON  THE  GULF  COAST.  —  MOBILE  BAY.  —  THE  HERMIT  OF 
DAUPHINE  ISLAND.  —  BON  SECOURS  BAY.  —  A  CRACKER'S 
DAUGHTERS.  —  THE  PORTAGE  TO  THE  PERDIDO.  —  THE  PORT- 
AGE  FROM   THE   PERDIDO   TO   BIG    LAGOON.  — PENSACOLA    BAY. 

—  SANTA  ROSA  SOUND.  —  A  NEW  LONDON  FISHERMAN.  —  CATCH- 
ING THE  POMPANO.  —  A  NEGRO   PREACHER  AND  WHITE  SINNERS. 

—  A    DAY   AND   A   NIGHT   WITH    A   MURDERER.  —  ST.   ANDREW'S 
SOUND.  —  ARRIVAL   AT   CAPE   SAN   BLAS. 

ON  the  morning  of  February  8  we  left  Biloxi, 
and  launching  our  boats,  proceeded  on  our 
vo3^age  to  the  eastward,  skirting  shores  which 
were  at  times  marsh}^  and  again  firm  and  sandy. 
At  Oak  Point,  and  Belle  Fontaine  Point,  green 
magnolia  trees,  magnificent  oaks,  and  large  pines 
grew  nearly  to  the  water's  edge.  Beyond  Belle 
Fontaine  the  waters  of  Graveline  Bayou  flow 
through  a  marshy  flat  to  the  sea,  and  ofler  an 
attractive  territory  to  sportsmen  in  search  of 
wild-fowl.  Beyond  the  bayou,  between  West 
and  East  Pascagoula,  we  found  a  delta  of  marshy 
islands,  and  an  area  of  mud  flats,  upon  which 
had  been  erected  enclosures  of  brush,  within  the 
cover  of  which  the  sportsman  could  secrete  him- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  24 1 

self  and  boat  while  he  watched  for  the  wild  ducks 
constantly  attracted  to  his  neighborhood  by  the 
submarine  grasses  upon  which  they  fed. 

At  sunset  we  ran  into  the  mouth  of  a  creek 
near  the  village  of  East  Pascagoula,  and  there 
slept  in  our  boats,  which  were  securely  tied  to 
stakes  driven  into  the  salt  marsh.  At  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  tide  being  low,  we 
waded  out  of  the  stream,  towing  our  boats  with 
lines  into  deeper  water,  and  rowed  past  East 
Pascagoula,  vrhich,  like  the  other  watering-places 
of  the  Gulf,  seemed  deserted  in  the  winter.  The 
coast  was  now  a  wilderness,  with  few  habitations 
in  the  dense  forests,  which  formed  a  massive  dark 
green  background  to  the  wide  and  inhospitable 
marshes.  As  we  proceeded  upon  our  voyage  wild- 
fowl and  tish  became  more  and  more  abundant, 
but  few  fishermen's  boats  or  coasting  vessels  were 
seen  upon  the  smooth  waters  of  the  Gulf  About 
dusk  we  ascended  a  creek,  marked  upon  our  chart 
as  Bayou  Caden,  and  passing  through  marshes, 
over  which  swarmed  myriads  of  mosquitoes,  we 
landed  upon  the  pebbly  beach  of  a  little  ham- 
mock, and  there  pitched  our  tent. 

This  portable  shelter,  which  we  had  made  at 
Biloxi,  proved  indeed  a  luxury.  It  was  only  six 
feet  square  at  its  base,  weighing  but  a  few  pounds, 
and  when  compactly  folded  occupying  little  space; 
but  after  the  first  night's  peaceful  sleep  under  its 
sheltering  care  it  occupied  a  large  place  in  our 
16 


242  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

hearts;  for,  having  driven  out  the  mosquitoes  and 
closely  fastened  the  entrance,  we  bade  defiance 
to  our  tormentors,  and  realized  by  comparison, 
as  we  never  did  before,  the  misery  of  voyaging 
without  a  tent. 

Moving  out  of  the  Bayou  Caden  the  next  day, 
a  lot  of  fine  oysters  was  collected  in  shoal  water, 
and  by  a  lucky  shot,  a  fat  duck  w^as  added  to  the 
menu. 

We  were  now  on  the  coast  of  Alabama,  so 
named  by  an  aboriginal  chief  when  he  arrived  at 
the  river,  from  which  he  thought  no  white  man 
would  ever  drive  him,  and  turning  to  his  follow- 
ers, exclaimed,  Alabama!  —  '^  Here  we  rest." 
Alas  for  chief  and  followers,  who  to-day  have 
no  spot  of  ground  where  they  can  stand  and 
cry,  Alabama! 

There  were  several  bays  to  be  crossed  before 
we  reached  a  point  in  the  marshes  which  ex- 
tended several  miles  to  the  south,  and  was  called 
Berrin  Point.  To  the  east  of  this  was  a  wide 
bay,  bounded  by  Cedar  Point,  which  formed  one 
side  of  the  entrance  to  Mobile  Bay.  Miles  across 
the  water  to  the  south  lay  Dauphine  Island,  which 
it  was  necessary  to  reach  before  we  could  cross 
the  inlet  to  Mobile  Bay.  The  wind  rose  from  the 
south,  giving  us  a  head  sea,  but  we  pulled  across 
the  shallow  bay,  through  which  ran  a  channel 
called  "Grant's  Pass,"  it  having  been  dredged 
out   to    enable  vessels  to   pass  from   Mississippi 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  243 

Sound  to  INIobile  Bay.  This  tedious  pull  ended 
by  our  safe  arrival  at  Dauphine  Island,  upon  the 
eastern  point  of  which  we  found,  close  to  the 
beach,  a  group  of  wooden  government  buildings, 
once  occupied  by  some  of  the  members  of  the 
United   States  Army  Engineer  Corps. 

Here  lived,  as  keeper  of  the  property,  a  genial 
recluse,  Mr.  Robinson  Cruse,  who  for  eight 
years  had  led  an  almost  solitary  life,  his  nearest 
neighbor  on  the  island  being  the  sergeant  in 
charge  of  Fort  Gaines,  which  officer,  I  was  in- 
formed, was  seldom  seen  outside  of  his  dismal 
enclosure.  Solitude,  however,  did  not  seem  to 
have  had  the  usual  effect  upon  Mr.  Cruse,  for  he 
welcomed  us  most  cordially,  and  cooked  us  a 
truly  maritime  supper  of  many  things  he  had  taken 
from  the  sea.  When  darkness  came,  and  the 
winds  were  howling  about  us,  he  piled  in  his 
open  fireplace  pieces  of  the  wrecks  of  unfortu- 
nate vessels  which  had  foundered  on  the  coast, 
and  had  cast  up  their  frames  and  plankings  on 
the  beach  near  his  door.  Grouping  ourselves 
round  the  crackling  fire,  our  host  opened  his 
budget  of  adventures  by  sea  and  by  land,  enter- 
taining us  most  delightfully  until  midnight,  when 
w^e  spread  our  blankets  on  the  hard  floor  in  front 
of  the  fire,  and  were  soon  travelling  in  the  realms 
of  dreamland. 

The   following    day   the   wind    stirred   up  the 
wide  expanse  of  water  about  the  island  to  such 


244  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

a  deofree  of  boisterousness  that  we  could  not 
launch  our  boats.  Our  position  was  somewhat 
peculiar.  Between  Dauphine  Island  and  the 
beach  of  the  mainland  opposite  was  an  open 
ocean  inlet  of  three  and  a  half  miles  in  width, 
throusrh  which  the  tide  flowed.  Fort  Gaines 
commanded  the  western  side  of  this  inlet,  while 
Fort  Morgan  menaced  the  intruder  on  the  oppo- 
site shore.  North  of  this  Gulf  portal  was  the 
wide  area  of  water  of  INIobile  Bay,  extending 
thirty  miles  to  jNIobile  City,  while  to  the  south 
of  it  spread  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  bounded  only  by 
the  dim  horizon  of  the  heavens.  To  the  east, 
and  inside  the  narrow  beach  territory  of  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  inlet,  was  Bon  Secours  Bay,  a 
sort  of  estuary  of  Mobile  Bay,  of  sixteen  miles  in 
length.  The  passage  of  the  exposed  inlet  could 
be  made  in  a  small  boat  only  during  calm 
weather,  otherwise  the  voyager  might  be  blown 
out  to  sea,  or  be  forced,  at  random,  into  the  great 
sound  inside  the  inlet.  In  either  case  the  rough 
waves  would  be  likely  to  fill  the  craft  and  drown 
its  occupant.  In  case  of  accident  the  best  swim- 
mer would  have  little  chance  of  escape  in  these 
semi-tropical  waters,  as  the  man-eating  shark  is 
always  cruising  about,  waiting,  Micawber-like, 
for  something  "  to  turn  up." 

The  windy  weather  kept  us  prisoners  on  Dau- 
phine Island  for  two  days,  but  earl}^  on  the  morn- 
ing   of  February   13    a    calm    prevailed,    taking 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  245 

advantage  of  which,  we  hurried  across  the  open 
expanse  of  water,  not  daring  to  linger  until  our 
kind  host  could  prepare  breakfast.  The  shoal 
water  of  the  approaches  to  the  enterprising 
cotton  port  of  Mobile  make  it  necessary  for 
large  vessels  to  anchor  thirty  miles  below  the 
city,  in  a  most  exposed  position.  We  passed 
through  this  fleet,  which  was  discharging  its 
cargo  by  lighters,  and  gained  in  safety  the  beach 
in  Bon  Secours  Bay,  near  Fort  Morgan. 

While  preparing  our  breakfast  on  the  glittering 
white  strand,  we  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  B.  F. 
Midyett,  the  light-keeper  of  Mobile  Point.  He 
was  a  North  Carolinian,  but  told  us  that  Indian 
blood  flowed  in  his  veins.  He  was  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  lost  colony  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  a  history  of  which  I  gave  in  my  "  Voy- 
age of  the  Paper  Canoe."  jNIidyett  (also  spelled 
Midget)  may  have  been  a  descendant  of  that 
feeble  colony  of  white  men  which  so  mysteri- 
ously disappeared  from  histor}^  after  it  had  aban- 
doned Roanoke  Island,  North  Carolina,  being 
forced  by  starvation  to  take  refuge  among 
friendly  Indians,  when  its  members,  through 
intermarriage  with  their  protectors,  lost  their  in- 
dividuality as  white  men,  and  founded  a  race  of 
blue-eyed  savages  afterwards  seen  by  European 
explorers  in  the  forests  of  Albemarle  and  Pamp- 
lico  sounds. 

The  light-keeper  begged  us    to    make  him  a 


246  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

visit;  but  it  was  necessary  to  hurry  to  the  end 
of  Bon  Secours  Bay  before  night,  as  a  north 
wind  would  give  us  a  heavy  beam  sea.  Pass- 
ing '^  Pilot  Town,"  where  the  little  cottages  of 
oystermen,  fishermen,  and  pilots  were  clustered 
along  the  beach,  we  pulled  past  a  forest-clad 
strand  until  dusk,  when  we  reached  the  end  of 
Bon  Secours  Bay,  where  it  was  necessary  to 
make  a  portage  across  the  woods  to  the  next 
inland  watercourse. 

The  eastern  end  of  Bon  Secours  Ba}^  termi- 
nated at  the  mouth  of  Bon  Secours  River,  which 
we  ascended,  finding  on  the  low  shores  a  well- 
stocked  country  store,  and  several  small  houses 
occupied  by  oystermen.  We  slept  in  our  boats 
by  the  river's  bank,  and  the  next  morning  turned 
into  a  narrow  creek,  on  our  right  hand,  which 
led  to  a  small  tidal  pond,  called  Bayou  John,  the 
bottom  of  which  was  covered  in  places  with 
large  and  delicious  03'Sters.  Crossing  the  lagoon, 
we  landed  in  a  heavy  forest  of  yellow  pines. 
This  desolate  region  was  the  home  of  John 
Childeers,  a  farmer;  and  we  were  informed 
that  he  alone,  in  the  entire  neighborhood,  was 
the  possessor  of  oxen,  and  was  in  fact  the  only 
man  who  could  be  hired  to  draw  our  boats 
seven  miles  to  Portage  Creek,  which  is  a  trib- 
utary of  Perdido   River. 

Leaving  Saddles  to  watch  our  boats,  I  en- 
tered the  tall  pine   forest,  and    after  walking    a 


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FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  247 

mile  came  upon  the  clearing  of  the  backwoods- 
man. His  two  daughters,  young  women,  were 
working  in  the  rieid;  but  the  sight  of  a  stranger 
was  so  unusual  to  them,  that,  heedless  of  my 
remonstrances  and  gentle  assurances  of  good- 
will, they  took  to  their  heels  and  ran  so  fast 
that  it  was  impossible  to  overtake  them  until 
they  arrived  at  the  log  cabin  of  their  father. 
The  dogs  then  made  a  most  unceremonious 
assault  upon  me,  when  the  maidens,  forgetting 
their  fears,  made  a  sally  upon  the  fierce  curs, 
and  clubbed  them  with  such  hearty  good-will 
that  the  discomfited  canines  hastily  took  refuge 
in  the  woods. 

The  family  listened  to  my  story,  and  insisted 
upon  mv  joining  them  in  their  mid-da}'  meal, 
which  consisted  of  pork,  sweet-potatoes,  and 
corn-bread.  ^Nly  host  agreed  to  haul  the  boats 
the  next  day  to  Portage  Creek  for  five  dollars, 
and  I  returned  to  Saddles  to  make  preparations 
for  the  overland  journey.  That  night  we  feasted 
sumptuously  upon  fat  oysters  six  inches  in  length, 
rolled  in  beaten  eggs  and  cracker-crumbs,  and 
fried  a  delicate  brown.  These,  with  good  hot 
cofiee  and  fresh  bread,  furnished  a  supper  highly 
appreciated  by  two  hungr}'  men. 

With  the  morninof  came  our  farmer,  when 
about  an  hour  was  spent  in  securely  packing 
our  boats  in  the  long  wagon.  The  duck-boat 
was    placed    upon   the   bottom,   while    the    light 


248  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

skiff  of  my  companion  rested  upon  a  scaffold- 
ing above,  made  by  lashing  cross-bars  to  the 
stanchions  of  the  wagon.  This  peculiar  two- 
storied  vehicle  swa3'ed  from  side  to  side  as  we 
travelled  over  uneven  ground,  but  the  boats 
were  securely  lashed  in  their  places,  and  the 
parts  exposed  to  chafing  carefully  protected  by 
bundles  of  coarse  grass  and  our  blankets. 

We  travelled  slowly  through  the  heavily 
grassed  savannas  and  the  dense  forests  of  yel- 
low pine  towards  the  east,  in  a  line  parallel 
with,  and  only  three  miles  from,  the  coast.  The 
four  oxen  hauled  this  light  load  at  a  snaiTs  pace, 
so  it  was  almost  noon  when  we  struck  Portage 
Creek  near  its  source,  where  it  was  only  two 
feet  in  width.  Following  along  its  bank  for  a 
mile,  we  arrived  at  the  logging-camp  of  Mr. 
Childeers.  There  we  found  the  creek  four  rods 
in  width,  and  possessing  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet 
of  water.  The  lumbermen  haul  their  pine  logs 
to  this  point,  and  float  them  down  the  stream  to 
the  steam  sawmills  on  Perdido  River. 

The  boats  were  soon  launched  upon  the  dark 
cypress  waters  of  the  creek,  the  cargo  carefully 
stowed,  and  the  voyage  resumed.  Though  the 
roundabout  course  through  the  woods  was  fully 
seven  miles,  a  direct  line  for  a  canal  to  con- 
nect the  Bon  Secours  and  Portage  Creek  waters 
would  not  exceed  four  miles.  About  two  miles 
from  the  logging-camp  the  stream  entered  "  Bay 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  249 

Lalanch,"  from  the  grassy  banks  of  which  alli- 
gators slid  into  the  water  as  we  rowed  quietly 
alonof. 

We  now  entered  a  wide  expanse  of  bay  and 
river,  with  shores  clothed  with  solemn  forests 
of  dark  green.  The  wide  Perdido  River,  rising 
in  this  region  of  dismal  pines,  flows  between 
Bear  Point  and  Inerarity's  Point,  when,  making 
a  sharp  turn  to  the  eastward,  it  empties  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  In  crossing  the  river  between 
the  two  points  mentioned,  we  were  only  sepa- 
rated from  the  sea  by  a  narrow  strip  of  low  land. 
The  Perdido  River  is  the  boundary  line  between 
the  states  of  Alabama  and  Florida.  In  a  bend 
of  the  river,  nearly  three  miles  east  of  Inerarity's 
Point,  we  landed  on  a  low  shore,  having  passed 
the  log  cabins  of  several  settlers  scattered  along 
in  the  woods. 

It  was  now  necessary  to  make  a  portage 
across  the  low  country  to  the  next  interior 
watercourse,  called  "  Big  Lagoon."  It  was  a 
shallow  tidal  sheet  of  water  seven  miles  in 
length  by  one  in  width,  and  separated  from  the 
sea  by  a  very  narrow  strip  of  beach.  We 
camped  in  our  boats  for  the  night,  starting  off 
hopefully  in  the  morning  for  the  little  settle- 
ment, to  procure  a  team  to  haul  our  boats 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  Big  Lagoon.  The 
settlers  were  all  absent  from  their  homes,  hunt- 
ing   and    fishing,  so  we    returned  to   our    camp 


250  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

depressed  in  spirits.  There  was  nothing  left  for 
us  but  to  attempt  to  haul  our  boats  over  the 
sandy  neck  of  land;  so  we  at  once  applied  our- 
selves to  the  task.  The  boats  were  too  heavy 
for  us  to  carry,  so  we  dragged  the  sneak-box 
on  rollers,  cut  from  a  green  pine-tree,  half-way 
to  the  lagoon;  and,  making  many  journe3's,  the 
provisions,  blankets,  gun,  oars,  &c.,  were  trans- 
ported upon  our  shoulders  to  the  half-way  rest- 
ing-place. 

So  laborious  was  this  portage  that  when  night 
came  upon  us  we  had  hauled  one  boat  only, 
with  our  provisions,  tent,  and  outfit,  to  the  beach 
of  Big  Lagoon.  The  Riddle  still  rested  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Perdido  River.  The  tent  was 
pitched  to  shelter  us  from  mosquitoes,  and  par- 
taking of  a  hearty  supper,  we  rolled  ourselves 
in  our  blankets  and  slept.  The  camp  was  in 
a  desolate  place,  our  only  neighbors  being  the 
coons,  and  they  enlivened  the  solitude  by  their 
snarling  and  lighting,  having  come  down  to  the 
beach  to  lish  in  apparently  no  amiable  mood. 

Before  midnight,  that  unmistakable  cry  so  hu- 
man in  its  agonizing  tone,  w^arned  us  of  the 
approach  of  a  panther.  Coming  closer  and 
closer,  the  animal  prowled  round  our  tent, 
sounding  his  childlike  wail.  It  was  too  dark 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  him,  though  Ave  watched, 
weapons  in  hand,  for  his  nearer  approach. 
Saddles  had  hunted  the  beast  in  his   Louisiana 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  25 1 

lairs,  and  was  eager  to  make  him  feel  the 
weight  of  his  lead.  We  succeeded  in  driving 
him  off  once,  but  he  returned  and  skulked  in 
the  bushes  near  our  camp  for  half  an  hour, 
when  his  cries  grew  fainter  as  he  beat  a  retreat 
into  the   forest. 

We  worked  hard  until  noon  the  next  day  in 
the  vain  attempt  to  haul  the  Riddle  from  the 
Perdido,  when  I  launched  the  duck-boat  on  Big- 
Lagoon  and  rowed  easterly  in  search  of  assist- 
ance, leaving  Saddles  behind  to  guard  our  stores. 
When  six  miles  from  camp,  I  discovered  upon 
the  high  north  shore  of  the  lagoon  the  clearing 
and  cabin  of  Rev.  Charles  Hart,  an  industrious 
negro  preacher,  who  labored  assiduously,  culti- 
vating the  thin  sandy  soil  of  his  little  farm,  that 
he  might  teach  his  fellow-freedmen  spiritual 
truths  on  the  Lord's  day.  This  humble  black 
promised  to  go  with  his  scrawny  horse  to  the 
assistance  of  Saddles,  and  at  once  departed  on 
his  mission,  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  he 
could  serve  two  unfortunate  boatmen,  and  hon- 
estly earn  two  dollars.  Going  into  camp  upon 
the  shore,  I  kept  up  a  bright  fire  to  notify  my 
absent  companion  of  my  whereabouts. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hart  returned 
and  claimed  his  fee,  reporting  that  he  had  hauled 
the  Riddle  to  the  lagoon,  where  he  found  Sad- 
dles pleasantly  whiling  away  the  hours  of  soli- 
tude   in    the  useful  occupation    of   washing    his 


252  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

extra  shirt  and  stockings.  He  assured  me  the 
Riddle  would  soon  appear.  A  little  later  Sad- 
dles reached  my  camp,  and  we  tented  for  the 
night  on  the  beach.  At  daylight  we  took  to 
our  oars,  and  rowed  out  of  the  end  of  the  la- 
goon into  Pensacola  Bay.  Skirting  the  high 
shores  on  our  left,  we  approached  within  a  mile 
of  the  United  States  naval  station  Warrington, 
w^here  we  went  into  camp  upon  the  white  strand, 
in  a  small  settlement  of  pilots  and  fishermen,  who 
kindly  welcomed  us  to  Pensacola  Bay.  We 
slept  in  our  boats  on  the  sandy  beach,  beside 
a  little  stream  of  fresh  water  that  flowed  out  of 
the  bank. 

The  morning  of  the  19th  of  February  was 
calm  and  beautiful,  while  the  songs  of  mocking- 
birds filled  the  air.  Across  the  inlet  of  Pensa- 
cola Bay  was  the  western  end  of  the  low,  sandy 
island  of  Santa  Rosa,  which  stretches  in  an  east- 
erly direction  for  forty-eight  miles  to  East  Pass 
and  Choctawhatchee  Bay,  and  serves  as  a  bar- 
rier to  the  sea.  Behind  this  narrow  beach  island 
flow  the  waters  of  Santa  Rosa  Sound,  the  north- 
ern shores  of  which  are  covered  with  the  same 
desolate  forests  of  yellow  pine  that  characterize 
the  uplands  of  the  Gulf  coast.  At  the  west  end 
of  Santa  Rosa  Island  the  walls  of  Fort  Pickens 
rose  gloomily  out  of  the  sands.  It  was  the  only 
structure  inhabited  by  man  on  the  long  barren 
island,  with  the  exception   of  one   small    cabin 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  253 

built  on  the  site  of  Clapp's  steam-mill,  four  miles 
be3-ond  the  fort,  and  occupied  by  a  negro. 

We  crossed  the  bay  to  Fort  Pickens,  and  fol- 
lowed the  island  shore  of  the  sound  until  five 
o'clock  p.  M.,  when  we  sought  a  camp  on  the 
beach  at  the  foot  of  some  conspicuous  sand  hills, 
the  thick  "  scrub  "  of  which  seemed  to  be  the 
abode  of  numerous  coons.  From  the  top  of  the 
principal  sand  dune  there  was  a  fine  view  of  the 
boundless  sea.  Our  position,  however,  had  its 
inconveniences,  the  principal  one  being  a  scar- 
city of  water,  so  we  were  obliged  to  break  camp 
at  an  early  hour  the  next  da}'. 

The  Santa  Rosa  Island  shore  was  so  desolate 
and  unattractive  that  we  left  it,  and  crossed  the 
narrow  sound  to  the  north  shore  of  the  mainland, 
where  nature  had  been  more  prodigal  in  her  dra- 
pery of  foliage.  Before  noon  a  sail  appeared  on 
the  horizon,  and  we  gradually  approached  it. 
Close  to  the  shore  we  saw  a  raft  of  sawed  tim- 
bers being  towed  by  a  3'acht.  The  captain  hailed 
us,  and  we  were  soon  alongside  his  vessel.  The 
refined  features  of  a  gentleman  beamed  upon  us 
from  under  an  old  straw  hat,  as  its  owner  trod, 
barefooted,  the  deck  of  his  craft.  He  had  start- 
ed, with  the  raft  in  tow,  from  his  mill  at  the 
head  of  Choctawhatchee  Bay,  bound  for  the 
great  lumber  port  of  Pensacola,  but  being  several 
times  becalmed,  was  now  out  of  provisions. 
We  gave  him  and  his  men  all  we  could  spare 


254  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

from  our  store,  and  then  inquired  whether  it 
would  be  possible  for  us  to  find  a  team  and 
driver  to  haul  our  boats  from  the  end  of  the 
watercourse  we  were  then  traversing,  across  the 
woods  to  the  tributary  waters  of  St.  Andrew's 
Bay.  The  captain  kindly  urged  us  to  go  to  his 
home,  and  report  ourselves  to  his  wife,  remain- 
ing as  his  oruests  until  he  should  return  from 
Pensacola,  —  -Svhen,"  he  said,  "I  myself  will 
take   3^ou   across." 

This  plan  would,  however,  have  caused  a  delay 
of  several  days,  so  we  could  not  take  advantage 
of  the  kind  otfer  of  the  ex-confederate  general. 

Having  considered  a  moment,  our  new  friend 
proposed  another  arrangement. 

"  There  is,"  he  said,  "  only  one  person  living 
at  the  end  of  Choctawhatchee  Bay,  besides  my- 
self, who  owns  a  yoke  of  oxen.  He  can  serve 
you  if  he  wishes,  but  remember  he  is  a  dangerous 
man.  He  came  here  from  the  state  of  Missis- 
sippi, after  the  war,  and  by  exaction,  brutality, 
and  even  worse  means,  has  got  hold  of  most  of 
the  cattle,  and  everything  else  of  value,  in  his 
neighborhood.  He  can  haul  your  boats  to  West 
Bay  Creek  in  less  than  a  day's  time.  The  job  is 
worth  three  or  four  dollars,  but  he  will  get  all  he 
can  out  of  you." 

Thanking  the  captain  for  the  information,  and 
the  warning  he  had  given  us,  we  waved  a  farewell, 
and  rowed  along  the  almost  uninhabited  coast 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.        255 

until  dusk,  when  we  crossed  the  sound  to  camp 
upon  Santa  Rosa  Ishind,  as  an  old  fisherman  at 
Warrington  had  advised  us;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  the 
woods  on  the  mainland  are  filled  with  varmints, 
—  cats  and  painters,  —  which  may   bother   you 

at  night." 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  we  rowed  to  the 
end  of  the  sound,  which  narrowed  as  we  ap- 
proached the  entrance  to  the  next  sheet  of  water, 
Choctawhatchee  Bay.  There  were  a  few  shan- 
ties aloncT  the  narrow  outlet  on  the  main  shore, 
where  some  settlers,  beguiled  to  this  desolate 
region  by  the  sentimental  idea  of  pioneer  life  in 
a  fine  climate,  known  as  "Florida  Fever," 
were  starving  on  a  fish  diet,  which,  in  the  cracker 
dialect,  was  "  powerful  handy,"  and  bravely  re- 
sistinor  the  attacks  of  insects,  the  bane  of  life  in 
Florida. 

Seven  miles  from  the  end  of  Santa  Rosa  Island 
the  boats  emerged  from  the  passage  between  the 
sounds,  and  entered  Choctawhatchee  Bay.  As 
the  wind  arose  we  struggled  in  rough  water, 
shaping  our  course  down  to  the  inlet  called  East 
Pass,  through  which  the  tide  ebbed  and  flowed 
into  the  bay. 

Here  we  encountered  an  original  character 
known  as  "  Captain  Len  Destin."  He  was  a 
fisherman,  from  New  London,  Connecticut,  and 
had  a  comfortable  house  on  the  high  bank  of  the 
inlet,  surrounded  by  cultivated  fields,  where  he 


256  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

had  lived  since  1852.  Having  married  a  native  of 
the  countr}^,  he  settled  down  to  the  occupation 
of  his  fathers;  and  being  a  prince  among  fisher- 
men, he  was  able  to  send  good  supplies  of  the 
best  fish  to  the  Pensacola  markets.  His  modus 
operandi  was  rather  peculiar.  Having  rowed 
along  the  beach  on  the  open  Gulf,  a  boat-load  of 
fishermen,  with  their  nets  ready  to  cast,  rested 
quietly  upon  their  oars  in  the  ofhng,  while  a 
sharp-eyed  man  walked  along  the  coast,  peering 
into  the  transparent  water,  searching  for  the 
schools  of  fish  which  feed  near  the  strand.  The 
fishermen  cautiously  follow  him,  until,  suddenly 
catching  sight  of  a  lot  of  pompanos,  sheep's-heads, 
and  other  fish,  he  signals  to  his  companions,  and 
the}',  quietly  approaching  the  unsuspicious  fish, 
drop  their  long  net  into  the  water,  and  enclose 
the  whole  school.  Drawing  the  net  upon  the 
beach,  the  fish  were  taken  out  and  carried  to 
Captain  Len's  landing,  inside  of  the  inlet,  where 
they  were  packed  in  the  refrigerator  of  a  fleet- 
sailing  boat,  which,  upon  receiving  its  cargo, 
started  immediately  for  Pensacola.  In  this  way 
the  pompano,  the  most  delicious  of  southern 
fishes,  being  repacked  at  Pensacola  in  hogsheads 
of  ice,  found  its  way  quickly  by  rail  to  New 
York  city,  where  they  were  justly  appreciated. 

Captain  Len  generously  supplied  our  camp 
with  fish;  so  making  a  good  fire,  we  broiled 
them  before  it,  baking  bread  in  our  Dutch  oven; 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.         257 

and  finishing  our  sumptuous  repast  with  some 
hot  coffee,  we  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  whistling 
wind  that  blew  steadily  from  the  north-east.  A 
little  schooner  of  four  tons  was  riding  out  the 
gale  near  the  landing.  She  was  bound  for  Appa- 
lachicola  and  St.  Marks,  Florida.  Her  passen- 
ofers  were  crowded  into  a  cabin,  the  confined 
limits  of  which  would  have  attracted  the  attention 
of  any  society  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to 
animals,  had  it  contained  a  freight  of  quadrupeds 
instead  of  human  beings.  The  heads  of  white 
and  black  men  and  women  could  be  seen  above 
the  hatchway  at  times,  as  though  seeking  for  a 
breath  of  pure  air. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  B.,  a  colored  preacher, 
crawled  out  of  the  hold,  and  visited  my  camp. 
Finding  that  I  sympathized  strongly  with  his 
unfortunate  race,  he  opened  his  heart  to  me, 
telling  of  his  labors  among  them.  He  also 
gave  me  an  account  of  his  efforts  to  encourage 
some  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the  week 
among  the  white  inhabitants  of  Key  West;  he 
and  other  colored  Christians  having  petitioned 
the  mayor  of  that  city  to  enforce  the  laws  which 
require  a  decent  respect  for  the  Lord's  day.  He 
CTrieved  over  the  sinful  condition  of  the  inhabi- 
tants  of  that  ungodly  city,  and  gave  me  a  sketch 
of  his  plans  for  improving  the  morality  of  his 
white  brethren.  He  had  been  travelling,  like 
St.  Paul,  upon  the  sea,  to  visit  and  encourage  the 

17 


258  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

weak  neero  churches  in  Florida.  His  address 
was  that  of  a  gentleman,  and  his  heart  beat  with 
generous  impulses. 

I  row^d  out  to  the  little  craft  in  the  offing,  and 
found  in  the  diminutive  cabin  eight  first-class 
NEGRO  passengers,  while  in  the  vesseTs  hold, 
reclining  upon  the  cargo,  were  four  white  men 
who  were  voyaging  second  class.  The  cordage 
of  the  little  craft  was  rotten,  and  the  sails  nearly 
worn  out,  yet  all  these  people  were  cheerful,  and 
willing  to  put  to  sea  as  soon  as  the  young  skip- 
per would  dare  to  venture  out  upon  the  Gulf. 

The  gale  finally  exhausted  itself.  On  the  24th 
we  rowed  alono-  the  southern  wooded  shore  of 
Choctawhatchee  Ba}',  towards  its  eastern  end. 
The  sound  is  put  down  on  our  charts  as  Santa 
Rosa  Ba}',  though  the  people  know  it  only  by  its 
Indian  name.  It  is  nearly  thirt}'  miles  long,  and 
has  an  average  width  of  live  miles.  Its  shores 
are  covered  by  a  wilderness,  and  the  settlements 
are  few  and  far  between.  As  we  had  not  left 
Captain  Len's  landing  until  afternoon,  we  made 
only  ten  miles  that  night,  and  camped,  supper- 
less,  on  "  Twelve  INIile  Point,"  but  making  an 
early  start  the  next  morning,  we  reached  at  noon 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  bay  near  the  log  cabin 
of  the  man  of  murderous  deeds,  to  whom  we  were 
to  look  for  assistance  in  the  transportation  of  our 
boats  across  the  wilderness  to  the  next  inland 
watercourse. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  259 

A  tall  man,  with  a  most  sinister  countenance, 
but  rather  better  dressed  than  the  average  back- 
woodsman, soon  made  his  way  to  our  boats.  I 
plainly  stated  my  object  in  calling  upon  him,  and 
expressed  a  wish  that  he  would  not  be  severe  in 
his  charges,  as  in  that  case  I  should  return  to 
Captain  Len's  landing,  put  to  sea,  and  follow  the 
coast  instead  of  the  interior  waters  to  the  inlet 
of  St.  Andrew's  Bay.  He  agreed  to  make  the 
portage  for  ten  dollars,  stating  that  the  distance 
was  about  fourteen  miles;  and  we  in  our  turn 
promised  to  be  ready  to  attend  to  the  loading  of 
the  boats  the  next  morning. 

As  we  walked  about  the  plantation,  its  owner 
became  quite  communicative,  even  pointing  out 
the  spot  where  his  wife's  nephew  had  been  shot 
dead,  leaving  him  heir  to  five  hundred  head  of 
cattle.  He  spoke  of  his  differences  with  his 
neighbors,  and  assured  us  that  nothing  but  lynch 
law  would  "  go  down  "  in  their  wild  region, 
where,  he  said,  no  law  existed.  He  had  been  a 
physician  in  his  native  state  of  Mississippi,  but 
there  were  so  many  widows  and  orphans  who 
could  not  pay  his  fees  that  he  gave  up  his  pro- 
fession, and  came  to  the  Gulf  coast  of  Florida, 
where  he  met  a  widow,  who  owned,  with  her 
nephew,  one  thousand  head  of  cattle,  which 
roamed  throu2:h  the  savanna  bottoms  of  the 
coast,  requiring  no  care  except  an  occasional 
salting.     Having  married  the  innocent  woman, 


iSo  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

his  first  victim,  he  then,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  his  neighbors,  hired  a  man  to  shoot  his 
nephew,  and  had  so  become  the  sole  owner  of 
the  whole  herd  of  cattle,  which  roamed  over 
thirty  square  miles  of  territory. 

Here  was,  indeed,  a  cheerful  guide  for  two 
lone  voyagers  through  the  uninhabited  wilds! 
Saddles  and  I  made  up  our  minds,  however,  to 
accept  the  inevitable  gracefully,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  the  next  morning  the  boats  were  lashed 
into  the  wagon,  and  the  retired  physician,  with 
two  of  his  men  on  horseback,  accompanied  by 
Saddles  and  myself  on  foot,  slowly  left  the  clear- 
ing, and  defiled  along  an  almost  undefined  trail 
through  the  forest.  I  noticed  that  the  men  were 
well  armed,  and  all  on  the  alert.  Occasionally 
one  of  the  men  would  be  sent  oft'  to  the  right  or 
left  to  search  for  cattle  signs,  but  our  guide  him- 
self hung  close  to  the  wagon,  seeming  to  consider 
prudence  the  better  part  of  valor. 

Opening  the  conversation  with  this  quondam 
physician,  I  asked  his  opinion  in  regard  to  several 
well-known  remedies,  and  discovered  that  he 
used  but  three.  The  best  medicine,  he  said,  was 
CALOMEL,  the  next  qltinine,  and  what  they 
would  not  cure,  Glauber's  salts  would.  In 
fact,  he  considered  salts  the  specific  for  all  dis- 
eases. Leading  gently  to  the  subject,  I  spoke 
of  his  nephew's  death,  when  he  assured  me  the 
cruel   deed  had  been  done   by   a   settler  named 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  26 1 

Bridekirk,  who  had  squatted  upon  some  land 
belonging  to  the  young  man,  and  though  the 
intruder  never  had  it  conveyed  to  him  by  gov- 
ernment, he  considered  it  his  own.  Anxious  to 
protect  his  nephew's  interest,  the  physician  took 
up  the  claim,  and  moved  his  family  to  the  dis- 
puted territory.  "  Bridekirk,"  he  said,  "swore  my 
nephew  should  never  live  on  what  he  called  his 
claim,  and  a  short  time  afterwards  took  his  re- 
venge. I  had  sent  the  boy  for  a  spur  I  left  at  a 
neighbor's,  and  when  just  outside  my  fence  a 
man  who  was  concealed  in  a  thicket  shot  the 
poor  fellow.  I  KNOW  it  was  the  devil  Bridekirk 
who  did  it." 

"  Did  you  find  his  trail?  "   I  asked. 

"No,"  he  answered;  "we  could  not  pick  it  up. 
It  was  all  stamped  out.  No  one  could  recognize 
it,  but  I  know  Bridekirk  was  the  assassin.  He 
threatened  my  life  too;   but  hes  dead  no-uy 

"Dead!"  I  exclaimed;  "when  did  he  die?" 

"  Oh,  about  a  week  ago.  He  lived  a  few  miles 
from  here,  and  one  morning  somebody  shot  him 
in  his  doorway." 

"Who  could  have  done  that?"  I  inquired. 

A  savage  gleam  lit  up  the  ph3'sician"'s  eye,  as 
he  said,  slowly: 

"  My  wife's  nephew  had  some  relation  in  a 
distant  state,  and  it  was  reported  they  would  see 
that  Bridekirk  got  his  deserts." 

"  They  came  a  long  way  to  take  their  revenge," 
I  remarked. 


262  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

"Yes,  a  very  long  way,"  he  answered;  and 
then  added:  "  This  Bridekirk  would  have  been 
arrested  for  stealing  m}^  cattle  if  he  had  lived  a 
week  or  two  longer.  Me  and  a  neighbor  was 
out  looking  up  our  cattle  round  here,  not  long 
ago,  and  we  saw  there  were  a  good  many  fresh 
burns  in  the  woods,  and  as  we  knew  that  cattle 
would  go  to  such  places  to  nibble  the  fresh  grass 
that  starts  up  after  a  fire,  we  set  out  for  a  big 
burnt  patch.  While  we  were  in  the  woods,  to- 
wards sunset,  we  saw  two  men  on  horseback  driv- 
ing an  old  bell-steer  and  four  or  five  young  cattle, 
all  of  which  we  easily  recognized  in  the  distance 
as  part  of  my  herd.  We  followed  the  men  cau- 
tiously, keeping  so  far  in  the  woods  that  they 
could  not  see  us,  when  they  mounted  a  little  hill, 
and  the  last  ra3's  of  the  setting  sun  striking  upon 
them,  we  saw  that  it  was  Bridekirk  and  a  neigh- 
bor who  were  stealing  my  stock.  We  hid  in 
the  swamp  until  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and 
then  rode  to  Bridekirk's  clearing.  There  was  a 
stream  in  a  hollow  below  his  house,  but  his  cat- 
tle-pen was  on  the  rising  ground  a  little  way  ofi'. 
We  tied  our  horses  in  the  woods,  and  crawled 
up  to  the  cow-pen.  There  we  found  all  the 
cattle  the  thieves  had  stolen  excepting  the  bell- 
steer.  There  was  a  fire  down  in  the  hollow  by 
the  stream,  and  we  could  see  Bridekirk  and  the 
other  fellow  skinning  my  bell-steer,  which  they 
had  just  killed.      Said   I  to   my  friend,  ^  Now  we 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  263 

have  'em!  '  and  I  took  aim  at  Bridekirk  with  mv 
gun.  My  friend  was  a  law  man,  so  he  said, 
^No,  don't  shoot;  there  is  some  law  left,  and  we 
have  EVIDENCE  now.  Let's  go  and  indict  them. 
Then  if  the  sheriff  won't  arrest  them,  we  can  find 
plent}^  of  chances  to  pull  the  trigger  on  them.  I 
go  in  for  law  first,  and  lynching  afterwards.' 
Well,  it  was  a  hard  thing  to  lose  such  a  chance 
when  we  were  boiling  over,  but  I  put  my  gun  on 
my  shoulder,  and  my  friend  let  the  bars  of  the 
pen  down,  and  we  drove  the  other  cattle  out  as 
quietly  as  possible  into  the  woods. 

"  Next  day,  Bridekirk's  neighbor,  who  had 
helped  kill  the  beef,  left  for  parts  unknown. 
Why?  because,  when  he  found  the  bars  let  down, 
and  the  cattle  gone,  and  measured  our  tracks, 
he  knew  who  had  been  watching  him,  and  he 
thoug^ht  it  safest  to  skedaddle.  Bridekirk  then 
kept  close  in  his  cabin.  He  knew  who  was  on 
his  trail  this  time.  We  got  the  men  indicted, 
and  the  sheriff  had  the  order  of  arrest;  but  he 
held  it  for  a  week,  and  probably  sent  word  to 
Bridekirk  to  keep  out  of  the  way.  So  law,  as 
usual  in  these  parts,  fizzled,  and  it  became 
necessary  to  try  something  surer. 

"  Now  I  was  told  that  one  morning  last  week, 
before  daybreak,  Bridekirk  and  his  hired  man 
heard  a  noise  in  the  3^ard  that  sounded  as 
though  some  animal  was  worrying  the  hens. 
He  suspected  it  was  somebody  trying  to   draw 


264  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

him  out  into  the  yard,  so  he  would  not  go, 
but  tried  to  get  his  man  to  see  what  was  up. 
The  man  was  afraid,  too,  for  he  had  his  sus- 
picions. At  last  the  noise  outside  stopped,  and 
the  sun  began  to  rise.  As  nobody  seemed  to 
be  about,  Bridekirk  stuck  his  head  out  of  the 
door,  and,  not  seeing  anything,  slowly  stepped 
outside.  Now  there  were  two  men  hidden  be- 
hind a  fence,  with  their  guns  pointed  at  the 
door.  As  soon  as  that  cow-thief  got  fairly  out 
of  his  house,  we  —  these  fellows,  I  mean  — 
pulled  trigger  and  shot  him  dead.  The  authori- 
ties held  a  sort  of  inquest  on  the  case,  but  all 
that  is  known  of  the  matter  is  that  he  came  to 
his  death  by  shots  from  unknown  parties." 

Little  did  this  cold-blooded  man  suspect, 
while  relating  his  story  to  me,  that  his  own  end 
would  be  like  Bridekirk's,  and  that  he  would  soon 
fall  under  an  assassin's  hand.  I  became  thor- 
oughly disgusted  with  my  companion,  who  kept 
close  to  my  side  hour  after  hour  as  we  trudged 
throug^h  the  wilderness.  One  of  his  arms  was 
held  stiffly  to  his  side,  and  seemed  to  be  almost 
useless.  He  had  attempted  a  piece  of  imposi- 
tion on  a  man  who  lived  near  the  creek  we  were 
approaching,  and  had  received  the  contents  of 
the  settler's  shot-gun  in  his  side.  Most  of  the 
charge  had  lodi^jed  in  the  shoulder  and  arm, 
and  the  cripple  now  inveighed  against  this  man, 
and  advised  us  to  keep  clear  of  him  when  we 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  265 

rowed  down  the  creek.  "I  have  nothinji  asrainst 
Mr.  B.,"  he  said;  "but  he  is  no  gentleman, 
and  you  better  not  camp   near  him." 

Before  sunset  we  entered  a  heavily  grassed 
country,  where  deer  were  abundant.  They 
sprung  from  their  beds  in  the  tall  grass,  and 
bounded  away  as  we  advanced.  At  twilight 
the  oxen  finished  their  long  pull  on  the  banks 
of  a  little  w^atercourse  known  as  West  Bay 
Creek,  so  called  because  it  flows  into  the  West 
Bay  of  St.  Andrew's  Sound.  Here  we  camped 
for  the   night. 

The  two  hired  men  left  us  to  visit  a  friend 
who  lived  several  miles  distant;  but  the  doctor 
remained  with  his  oxen  in  our  camp  all  night. 
When  the  tent  was  pitched  he  was  permitted 
to  enjoy  its  shelter  alone,  for  Saddles  and  I  took 
to  our  boats,  leaving  the  murderer  to  his  own 
uneasy  dreams.  I  settled  his  bill  before  retiring, 
so  he  decamped  at  an  early  hour  the  next  morn- 
ing, having  first  found  out  where  I  had  hidden 
my  cordage,  and  purloining  therefrom  my  long- 
est and  best  rope.  This  was  a  loss  to  me,  for 
it  was  used  to  secure  the  boats  when  they  were 
being  hauled  from  place  to  place;  but  I  would 
gladly  have  parted  with  any  of  my  belongings 
to  be  free  from  the  presence  of  my  unwelcome 
guest;  and  how  resigned  his  neighbors  must 
have  felt  when,  a  few  weeks  later,  they  read  in 
their  newspapers  that  "  W.  D.  Holly  was  shot 


266  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

last  week  in  his  house,  in  Washington  County, 
Florida,  by  some  unknown  parties  "  ! 

We  made  a  hasty  Sunday  breakfast  of  corn- 
starch, and  pulled  down  the  creek,  anxious  to 
put  some  distance  between  ourselves  and  the 
doctor.  Four  miles  down  the  stream,  where  it 
debouched  into  West  Bay,  we  found  the  homes 
of  two  settlers.  The  one  living  on  the  right 
bank  was  the  man  who  had  given  Mr.  Holly 
his  stiff  arm,  the  other  had  built  himself  a  rude 
but  comfortable  cabin  on  the  opposite  shore. 
Thouo-h  there  was  one  delicate-lookiniy  woman 
only  in  this  cabin,  without  any  protector,  she 
hospitably  asked  us  to  make  our  camp  at  her 
landing,  adding,  that  when  her  husband  returned 
from  the  woods  she  might  be  able  to  give  us 
some  meat. 

Soon  a  dog  came  out  of  the  dense  forest, 
followed  b}^  a  man  who  bore  upon  his  shoulders 
the  hind-quarters  of  a  deer  which  he  had  killed. 
He  bade  us  welcome,  while  he  remarked  that 
there  were  no  Sundays  in  these  parts,  where 
one  day  was  just  like  another;  and  then  pre- 
senting us  with  half  his  venison,  regretted  that 
he  had  not  been  aware  of  our  arrival,  as  he 
could  have  killed  another  deer,  his  dog  having 
started  fifteen  during  a  short  ramble  in  the 
woods.  In  the  thickets  of  "ti-ti,"  which  are  al- 
most as  dense  as  cane-brakes,  the  deer,  pan- 
thers, and  bears  take  refuge;   and  in  this  great 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  267 

wilderness  of  St.  Andrew's  Bay  expert  hunters 
can  find  venison  almost  any  day. 

On  Monday  morning  we  rowed  through  West 
Bay,  across  the  southern  end  of  North  Bay,  and 
skirted  the  north  coast  of  the  East  Bay  of  St. 
Andrew's,  with  its  picturesque  groves  of  cab- 
bage-palms, for  a  few  miles,  when  we  turned 
southward  into  the  inlet  through  which  the  tidal 
waters  of  the  Gulf  pass  in  and  out  of  the  sound. 

We  were  now  close  to  the  sea,  with  a  few  nar- 
row sandy  islands  only  intervening  between  us 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  upon  these  ocean 
barriers  we  found  breezy  camping-grounds.  Our 
course  was  by  the  open  sea  for  six  or  eight  miles, 
when  we  reached  a  narrow  beach  thoroughfare, 
called  Crooked  Island  Ba}^,  through  which  we 
rowed,  with  Crooked  Island  on  our  right  hand, 
until  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  where 
we  expected  to  tind  an  outlet  to  the  sea.  Being 
overtaken  by  darkness,  we  staked  our  boats  on 
the  quiet  sheet  of  water,  and  at  sunrise  pushed 
on  to  hnd  the  opening  through  the  beach. 
Not  a  sign  of  human  life  had  been  seen  since 
we  had  left  the  western  end  of  the  East  Ba}'  of 
St.  Andrew's  Sound,  and  we  now  discovered  that 
no  outlet  to  the  sea  existed,  and  that  Crooked 
Island  was  not  an  island,  but  a  long  strip  of 
beach  land  which  was  joined  to  the  main  coast 
by  a  narrow  neck  of  sandy  territory,  and  that 
the  interior  watercourse  ended  in  a  creek. 


268  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Our  portage  to  the  sea  now  loomed  up  as  a 
laborious  task.  We  needed  at  least  one  man 
to  assist  us,  and  we  were  fully  half  a  da37's  row 
from  the  nearest  cabin  to  the  west  of  us,  while 
we  might  look  in  vain  to  the  eastward,  where 
the  uninhabited  coast  line  stretched  away  with 
iits  .shining  sands  and  shimmering  waters  for 
thirty  miles  to  Cape  San  Bias.  There,  upon  a 
low  sand-bar,  against  which  the  waves  lashed 
out  their  fury,  rose  a  tall  light-tower,  the  only 
friend  of  the  mariner  in  all  this  desolate  region. 
We  could  not  look  to  that  distant  light  for  help, 
however,  and  were  thrown  entirely  upon  our 
own  feeble  resources. 

Going  systematically  to  work,  we  surveyed 
the  best  route  across  Crooked  Island,  which 
was  over  the  bed  of  an  old  inlet;  for  a  hurri- 
cane, many  years  before,  washed  out  a  passage 
through  the  sand-spit,  and  for  years  the  tide 
flowed  in  and  out  of  the  interior  bay.  An- 
other hurricane  afterwards  repaired  the  breach 
by  filling  up  the  new  inlet  with  sand;  so  Crooked 
Island  enjoyed  but  a  short-lived  notoriety,  and 
again  became  an  integral  part  of  the  continent. 

Our  survey  of  the  portage  gave  encouraging 
results.  The  Gulf  of  Mexico  was  only  four 
hundred  feet  from  the  bay,  and  the  shortest  route 
was  the  best  one;  so,  starting  energetically,  we 
dragged  the  boats  by  main  force  across  Crooked 
Island,  and  launched  them  in  the  surf  without 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


269 


disaster.  We  then  rowed  as  rapidly  as  the  rough 
sea  would  permit  along  the  coast  towards  the 
wide  opening  of  St.  Joseph's  Bay,  the  wooded 
beaches  of  which  rose  like  a  cloud  in  the  soft 
mists  of  a  sunny  day.  The  ba}'  was  entered  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and,  being  out  of 


Thk   Portage  across    Crooked   Island. 


water,  we  hauled  our  boats  high  on  to  the  beach, 
and  searched  eagerl}-  for  signs  of  moisture  in  the 
soil. 

Leaving  Saddles  to  build  a  fire  and  prepare 
our  evening  meal,  I  proceeded  to  investigate  our 


270  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

new  domain,  and  soon  discovered  the  remains 
of  a  cabin  near  a  station,  or  signal-statT,  of  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey.  Men  do  not  camp 
for  a  number  of  days  at  a  time  in  places  destitute 
of  water;  and  the  fact  of  the  cabin  having  been 
built  on  this  spot  proved  conclusively  to  me  that 
water  must  be  found  in  the  vicinity.  After  a 
careful  and  patient  search,  I  discovered  a  de- 
pression in  the  high  sandy  coast,  and  although 
the  sand  was  perfectly  dry,  I  thought  it  possible 
that  a  supply  of  water  had  been  obtained  here 
for  the  use  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey 
party  —  the  same  party  which  had  erected  the 
cabin  and  planted  the  signal   near  it. 

Going  quickly  to  the  beach,  I  found  the  shell 
of  an  immense  clam,  with  which  I  returned,  and 
using  it  as  a  scoop,  or  shovel,  removed  two  or 
three  bushels  of  sand,  when  a  moist  stratum  was 
reached,  and  my  clam-shovel  struck  the  chime 
of  a  flour-barrel.  In  my  joy  I  called  to  Sad- 
dles, for  I  knew  our  parched  throats  would  soon 
be  relieved.  It  did  not  take  long  to  empty  the 
barrel  of  its  contents,  which  task  being  finished, 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  water  slowly 
rise  and  fill  the  cistern  so  lately  occupied  by  the 
sand.  In  half  an  hour  the  water  became  limpid, 
and  we  sat  beside  our  well,  drinking,  from  time 
to  time,  like  topers,  of  the  sweet  water.  Our 
water-cans  were  filled,  and  no  stint  in  the  culi- 
nary department  was  allowed  that  evening. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  27 1 

The  flames  from  our  camp-fire  shot  into  the 
soft  atmosphere,  while  the  fishes,  attracted  by  its 
glare,  leaped  by  scores,  in  a  state  of  bewilder- 
ment, from  the  now  quiet  water.  St.  Joseph's 
Bay  has  an  ample  depth  of  water  for  sea-going 
vessels,  while  its  many  species  of  shells  make 
it  one  of  the  best  points  on  the  northern  Gulf 
coast  for  the  conchologist. 

Although  sorry  to  leave  our  limpid  spring, 
we  launched  the  boats  at  seven  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  following  the  north  side  of  the  ba}^ 
until  we  arrived  at  the  deserted  site  of  the  city 
of  St.  Joseph.  It  seemed  impossible  to  realize 
that  on  this  desolate  spot  there  had  been,  only 
thirty  or  forty  years  before,  a  prosperous  city, 
with  a  large  population  and  a  busy  cotton-port, 
accessible  to  the  largest  vessels,  and  threatening 
a  steady  rivalry  with  Appalachicola.  Railroads 
were  the  enemies  of  these  southern  cities,  as 
they  diverted  the  cotton,  grown  in  the  interior, 
from  its  natural  channels  by  river  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico. 

The  system  of  "time-freights,"  on  railroads 
to  the  eastern  Atlantic  ports  of  Charleston  and 
Savannah,  had  reduced  the  once  promising  city 
of  St.  Joseph  to  one  shanty  and  a  rotten  pier. 
Appalachicola  also  felt  the  iron  hand  of  com- 
petition, and  her  line  of  steamboats  lost  the  car- 
riage upon  her  noble  river  of  the  cotton  from 
the    distant    interior.      Railroads    were    rapidly 


272  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

constructed  running  east  and  west,  and  the  riv- 
ers flowins:  to  the  south  were  robbed  of  their 
commerce. 

Beyond  St.  Joseph  city  the  scenery  became  al- 
most tropical  in  its  character,  and  palmettos  grew 
in  rank  luxuriance  on  the  low  savannas.  The 
long  narrow  coast  on  the  south  side  of  the  bay 
trended  suddenl}^  to  the  south,  and  terminated 
in  Cape  San  Bias,  while  the  sound  was  ended 
abruptly  by  a  strip  of  land  which  connected  the 
long  cape  to  the  main.  The  system  of  interior 
w^atercourses  here  came  to  a  natural  end;  and 
pulling  our  boats  upon  the  strand,  we  landed  by 
a  large  turtle-pen,  near  which  was  a  deserted 
grass  hut,  evidently  the  home  of  the  turtle-hunter 
during  the  '"turtle  season."  Leaving  the  boats 
on  the  salt  marsh,  we  entered  the  woods  and 
ascended  the  sand-hills  of  the  Gulf  coast,  when 
a  boundless  view  of  the  sea  broke  upon  us. 
The  shining  strand  stretched  in  regular  lines 
four  miles  to  the  south,  where  the  light-tower 
on  the  point  of  the  cape  rose  above  the  inter- 
vening forest.  Greeting  it  as  the  face  of  a  friend, 
we  rejoiced  to  see  it  so  near;  and  standing  en- 
tranced with  the  beauty  of  the  vision  before 
us,  —  the  boundless  sea,  the  most  ennobling  sight 
in  -all  nature,  —  we  congratulated  ourselves  that 
we  had  arrived  safely  at  Cape  San  Bias. 


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FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  273 


CHAPTER    XI. 

FROM  CAPE  SAN  BLAS  TO  ST.  MARKS. 

A  PORTAGE  ACROSS  CAPE  SAN  BLAS.  —  THE  COW-HUNTERS. — 
A  VISIT  TO  THE  LIGHT-HOUSE.  —  ONCE  MORE  ON  THE  SEA. — 
PORTAGE  INTO  ST.  VINCENT  SOUND.  —  APALACHICOLA.  —  ST. 
GEORGE'S  SOUND  AND  OCKLOCKONV  RIVER.  —  ARRIVAL  AT  ST. 
MARKS.  —  THE  NEGRO  POSTMASTER.  —  A  PHILANTHROPIST  AND 
HIS  NEIGHBORS.  —  A  CONTINUOUS  AND  PROTECTED  WATER-WAY 
FROM   THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER   TO   THE   ATLANTIC   COAST. 

A  PORTAGE  now  loomed  in  our  horizon. 
The  distance  across  the  neck  of  land  was 
one-third  of  a  mile  only,  but  the  ascent  of  the 
hills  of  the  Gulf  beach  would  prove  a  formida- 
ble task.  I  proposed  to  Saddles  that  he  should 
return  to  the  boats,  while  I  hurried  down  the 
beach  to  the  point  of  the  cape  to  find  a  man  to 
assist  us  in  their  transportation  from  the  bay  to 
the  sea. 

While  discussing  the  plan,  a  noise  in  the  thicket 
caught  my  ear,  and  turning  our  eyes  to  the  spot, 
we  saw  two  men  hurrying  from  their  ambush 
into  the  forest.  We  at  once  started  in  pursuit 
of  them.  When  overtaken,  they  looked  con- 
fused, and  acknowledged  that  the  presence  of 
strangers  was  so  unusual  in  that  region  that  they 
18 


274  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

had  been  watching  our  movements  critically 
from  the  moment  we  landed  until  we  discov- 
ered them.  These  men  wore  the  rough  garb 
of  cow-hunters,  and  the  older  of  the  two  in- 
formed me  that  his  home  was  in  Apalachicola. 
He  was  looking  after  his  cattle,  which  had  a 
ver}'  long  range,  and  had  been  camping  with 
his  assistant  along  St.  Joseph's  Sound  for  many 
da3^s,  being  now  en  roiUe  for  his  home.  Two 
ponies  were  tied  to  a  tree  in  a  thicket,  while  a 
bed  of  palmetto  leaves  and  dried  grass  showed 
where  the  hunters  had  slept  the  previous  night. 

These  men  assured  us  that  the  happiest  life 
was  that  of  the  cow-hunter,  who  could  range 
the  forest  for  miles  upon  his  pon}',  and  sleep 
where  he  pleased.  The  idea  was,  that  the 
nearer  one's  instincts  and  mode  of  life  ap- 
proached to  that  of  a  cow,  the  happier  the  man : 
only  another  version,  after  all,  of  living  close  to 
nature.  One  of  these  wood-philosophers,  taking 
his  creed  from  the  animals  in  which  all  his 
hopes  centred,  said  we  should  be  as  simple  in 
our  habits  as  an  ox,  as  gentle  as  a  cow,  and  do 
no  more  injury  to  our  fellow-man  than  a  year- 
ling. He  was  certain  there  would  be  less  sin  in 
the  world  if  men  were  turned  into  cattle;  was 
sure  cattle  were  happier  than  men,  and  generally 
more  useful. 

Upon  learning  our  dilemma,  the  good-natured 
fellows    set  at  once  to  work  to  help    us.      We 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  275 

cut  two  pine  poles,  and  placing  one  boat  across 
them,  each  man  grasped  an  end  of  a  pole,  and 
thus,  upon  a  species  of  litter,  we  lifted  the  bur- 
den from  the  ground  and  bore  it  slowly  across 
the  land  to  the  sea.  Returning  to  the  bay,  we 
transported  the  second  boat  in  the  same  man- 
ner; and  making  a  third  trip,  carried  away  our 
provisions,  blankets,  &c. 

It  was  now  evening,  and  viewing  with  satis- 
faction our  little  boats  resting  upon  the  beautiful 
beach,  we  thanked  our  new  friends  heartily  for 
their  kindness.  The  owner  of  a  thousand  cat- 
tle crave  us  a  warm  invitation  to  visit  his  oranore 
grove  in  Apalachicola,  and  then  retired  with 
his  man  to  their  nest  in  the  woods,  while  we 
slept  in  our  boats,  with  porpoises  and  black-fish 
soundino-  their  nasal  calls  all  nioht  in  the  sea 
which  beat  upon  the  strand  at  our   feet. 

In  the  mornino-  the  wind  arose  and  sent  the 
waves  tumbling  far  in  upon  the  beach.  After 
breakfast  I  walked  to  the  extremity  of  the  cape, 
and  dined  with  Mr.  Robert  Colman,  the  prin- 
cipal light-keeper.  He  was  a  most  ingenious 
man,  and  an  expert  in  the  use  of  tools.  The 
United  States  Light  House  Establishment  se- 
lects its  light-keepers  from  the  retired  arm}^  of 
wounded  soldiers.  In  all  my  voyages  along  our 
coast,  and  on  inland  waters,  I  have  found  the 
good  results  of  the  perfect  discipline  exercised 
by  the  superintendents  of  this  bureau.      These 


276  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

keepers  live  along  a  coast  of  some  thousands 
of  miles  in  extent  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
oceans  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  many  of  them 
in  isolated  positions,  but  honesty,  economy,  and 
intelligent  skill  are  ever3{where  apparent;  and 
these  men  work  like  an  arm}^  of  veterans.  I 
have  intruded  upon  their  privacy  at  all  hours, 
but  have  never  found  one  of  them  open  to 
criticism.  There  is  no  shirking  of  the  onerous 
duties  of  their  position.  Too  much  praise  can- 
not be  given  to  these  light-keepers  in  their 
lonely  towers,  or  to  the  intelligent  heads  which 
direct  and  govern  their  important  work. 

As  I  was  leaving  the  light-house,  a  young 
woman  approached  me,  and  introducing  herself 
as  a  visitor  to  the  keeper's  family,  said  she  had 
a  favor  to  ask.  Would  it  be  too  much  trouble 
for  the  stranger,  after  he  reached  New  York,  to 
inquire  the  price  of  a  switch  of  human  hair  of 
just  the  shade  of  her  own  flaxen  locks,  and 
write  her  about  it!  Of  course  such  an  appeal 
could  not  be  disregarded;  but  I  confess  that  as 
I  gazed  upon  the  boundless  sea,  and  along  the 
uninhabited  strand,  and  into  the  unsettled  for- 
ests, I  wondered  where  the  men  or  women  were 
to  be  found  to  appreciate  the  imported  New 
York  switch.  Would  it  not  "waste  its  sweet- 
ness on  the  desert  air "  in  the  unpeopled  wil- 
derness? 

The  boisterous  weather  kept  us  on  the  beach 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  277 

until  Friday,  when  we  launched  our  boats  and 
rowed  along  the  coast  three  miles  to  a  point 
opposite  a  lagoon  which  was  separated  from 
the  sea  by  a  narrow  strip  of  land.  AVhile  pull- 
ins:  alonir  the  beach,  orreat  black-iish,  some  of 
them  weighing  at  least  one  thousand  pounds, 
came  up  out  of  the  sea  and  divided  into  four 
companies.  The  first  ranged  itself  upon  our 
right,  the  second  upon  our  left,  the  third,  form- 
ing a  school,  proceeded  in  advance,  while  the 
fourth  brought  up  the  rear.  Unlike  the  frisky 
porpoises,  these  big  fellows  convoyed  us  in 
tlie  most  dignified  manner,  heaving  their  dark, 
shining,  scaleless  bodies  half  out  of  the  water 
as  they  surged  along  within  a  few  feet  of  our 
boats. 

When  we  arrived  at  our  point  of  disembarka- 
tion, and  turned  shoreward  to  run  through  the 
surf,  our  strange  companions  seemed  loath  to 
leave  us,  but  rolled  about  in  the  offinir,  making; 
their  peculiar  nasal  sounds,  and  spouting,  like 
whales,  jets  of  spray  into  the  air.  A  landing 
was  accomplished  without  shipping  much  water, 
and  we  immediateh^  hauled  the  boats  across  the 
beach,  about  three  or  four  hundred  feet,  into  a 
narrow  lagoon,  the  western  branch  of  St.  Vin- 
cent's  Sound. 

Indian  Pass  was  two  miles  east  of  our  portage. 
It  is  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  through  which  small 
vessels  pass  into  St.  Vincent's  Sound,  en  route 


278  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

for  the  town  of  Apalachicola.  Heavy  seas 
were,  however,  breaking  upon  its  bar  at  that 
time,  and  it  would  have  been  a  dangerous  ex- 
periment to  have  entered  it  in  our  small  boats. 
Emerging  from  the  lagoon,  the  broad  areas  of 
St.  Vincent's  Sound  and  Apalachicola  Bay  met 
our  gaze,  while  beyond  them  were  spread  the 
waters  of  St.  George's  Sound. 

Following  the  coast  on  our  left,  numerous 
reefs  of  large  and  very  fat  03'sters  continually 
obstructed  our  progress.  We  gathered  a  bushel 
with  our  hands  in  a  ver}'  few  minutes;  but  as 
the  wind  commenced  to  blow  most  spitefully, 
and  the  heavy  forests  of  palms  on  the  low  shore 
offered  a  pleasant  shelter,  Ave  disembarked  about 
sunset  in  a  magnificent  grove  of  palmetto-trees, 
spending  a  pleasant  evening  in  feasting  upon 
the  delicious  bivalves,  roasted  and  upon  the  half 
shell. 

The  tempest  held  us  prisoners  in  this  wild 
retreat  for  two  days,  and  during  that  time,  if  we 
had  been  the  possessor  of  a  dog,  we  might  have 
supped  and  dined  upon  venison  and  wild  turkey. 
As  it  was,  we  were  well  content  to  subsist  upon 
wild  ducks  and  the  fine  oysters,  with  bread 
from  fresh  wheat-flour,  baked  in  our  Dutch 
oven,  or  bake-kettle,  and  coffee  that  never  tastes 
elsewhere  as  it  does  in  camp. 

At  last  the  gale  went  down  with  the  sun,  and 
we  rowed  in  the  evening  thirteen  miles  up  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  279 

bay  to  Apalachicola,  and  went  into  camp  upon 
the  sandy  beach  at  the  lower  end  of  the  town. 
While  sleeping  soundly  in  our  boats,  at  an  early 
hour  the  next  morning  some  one  came  "  gently 
tapping  at  m}'  chamber-door,"  or,  in  sea  phrase, 
pounding  upon  my  hatch.  I  soon  discovered 
that  my  visitor  was  Captain  Daniel  Fry,  United 
States  Inspector  of  Steamboats.  His  pretty 
cottage,  environed  with  beds  of  blooming  flow- 
ers, was  perched  upon  the  sandy  bluff  above 
us.  The  captain,  in  a  nautical  way,  claimed  us 
as  salvage,  and  we  were  soon  enjoying  his  gen- 
erous hospitality.  In  this  isolated  town,  once  a 
busy  cotton-shipping  port,  there  was  a  popula- 
tion of  about  one  thousand  souls,  among  whom, 
conspicuous  for  his  urbane  manners  and  scien- 
tific abiHt}',  lived  Dr.  A.  W.  Chapman,  the  author 
of  the  ''  Flora  of  the  Southern  United  States." 

While  at  New  Orleans  I  had  addressed  a  letter 
to  the  postmaster  at  St.  Marks,  Florida,  request- 
ing him  to  forv/ard  my  letters  to  Apalachicola, 
but  the  request  had  not  been  noticed.  The  mys- 
tery was,  however,  explained  by  Lieutenant  N., 
of  the  Coast  Survey  schooner  Silliman,  who  one 
day  called  upon  me,  and  said  that  when  he 
stopped  at  St.  Marks  for  his  mail,  a  few  days 
previous  to  my  arrival  at  Apalachicola,  he  saw 
about  thirty  letters  addressed  to  me  lying  loosely 
upon  the  desk  of  the  negro  postmaster  of  that 
marshy  settlement.     My  letter  of  instruction  had 


28o  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

been  received,  but  as  the  postmaster  could 
not  read,  no  notice  had  been  taken  of  it.  The 
coast  survey  officer  had  kindly  gathered  my  let- 
ters in  one  parcel,  and  had  deposited  them  for 
safe-keeping  with  the  postmaster's  white  clerk. 
The  responsible  position  of  postmaster  was  filled 
by  an  ignorant  colored  man,  because  his  politics 
were  those  of  the  party  then  in  power. 

Nor  was  this  an  exceptional  case,  man}^  such 
appointments  having  been  made,  as  an  inevitable 
result  of  a  peculiar  enfranchisement  in  which 
there  is  no  restriction,  and  where  license  stands 
for  liberty.  While  on  my  "  Voyage  of  the 
Paper  Canoe,"  I  met  in  one  count}'  in  Georgia, 
through  which  flows  the  beautiful  Altamaha,  the 
colored  county  treasurer,  who  lived  in  a  little 
backwoods'  settlement  a  few  iniles  from  Darien. 
He  could  neither  read  nor  write,  but  his  business 
was  managed  and  the  county  funds  handled  by  a 
white  politician  of  the  ^""reconstructing"  element 
then  in  power,  which  was  sapping  the  life-blood 
of  the  south,  and  bonding  every  state  within  its 
seltish  grasp  by  dishonest  legislative  acts.  The 
poor  black  man  was  simply  a  tool  for  the  white 
charlatan,  living  in  a  miserable  log  cabin,  and 
receiving  a  very  small  share  of  the  peculations 
of  his  white  clerk.  When  all  the  enfranchised 
are  educated,  and  not  until  then,  will  the  great 
source  of  evil  be  removed  from  our  politics  which 
to-day  endangers  our  future  liberty  of  self-gov- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  28 1 

ernment.  We  are  floating  In  a  sea  of  unlimited 
and  unlettered  enfranchisement,  vainly  tusrorinof 
at  the  helm  of  our  ship  of  state,  while  master- 
minds stoop  to  cater  to  the  prejudices  of  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  voters  who  cannot  read  the  names 
upon  the  ticket  they  deposit  in  the  ballot-box  — 
the  ballot-box  which  is  the  guardian  of  the  con- 
stitutional liberties  of  a  republic. 

We  left  the  kind  people  of  Apalachicola,  and 
crossed  the  bay  to  St.  George's  Sound,  with  a 
cargo  of  delicacies,  for  Captain  Fr}'  had  filled 
our  lockers  with  various  comforts  for  the  inner 
man,  while  our  friend,  the  cattle-owner,  whom 
we  had  met  at  Cape  San  Bias,  and  who  had  now 
returned  to  his  home,  stocked  us  with  delicious 
oranges  froni  his  grove  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city. 

Four  miles  to  the  east  of  Cat  Point  we  saw  the 
humble  homes  of  Peter  Sheepshead  and  Sam 
Pompano,  two  fishermen,  whose  uniform  success 
in  catching  their  favorite  species  offish  had  won 
for  them  their  euphonious  titles.  We  camped 
at  night  near  the  mouth  of  Crooked  River,  which 
enters  the  sound  opposite  Dog  Island,  having 
rowed  twenty-four  miles.  If  we  continued  along 
the  sound,  after  passing  out  of  its  eastern  end,  we 
would  be  upon  the  open  sea,  and  might  have 
difficult}'  in  doubling  the  great  South  Cape;  so 
we  took  the  interior  route,  ascending  Crooked 
River  through  a  low  pine  savanna  country,  to  the 


282  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

Ocklockony  River,  which  is,  in  fact,  a  continua- 
tion of  Crooked  River.  The  region  about  Crook- 
ed and  Ocklockony  rivers  is  destitute  of  the  hab- 
itation of  man. 

About  midway  between  St.  George's  Sound  and 
the  Gulf  coast  we  traversed  a  vast  swamp,  where 
the  ground  v^as  carpeted  with  the  dwarf  saw- 
palmettos.  A  lire  had  killed  all  the  large  trees, 
and  their  blasted,  leafless  forms  were  covered 
with  the  flaunting  tresses  of  Spanish  moss.  The 
tops  of  many  of  these  trees  w^ere  crowned  by  the 
Osprey's  nest,  and  the  birds  wxre  sitting  on  their 
eggs,  or  feeding  their  3'oung  with  flsh,  which 
they  carried  in  their  talons  from  the  sea.  So 
numerous  were  these  fish-hawks  that  we  named 
the  blasted  swamp  the  Home  of  theOsprey.  We 
spent  one  night  in  this  swamp  serenaded  by  the 
deep  calls  of  the  male  alligators,  which  closely 
resembled  the  low  bellowing  of  a  bull. 

About  noon  the  next  day  signs  of  cultivated 
life  appeared,  and  we  passed  the  houses  of  some 
settlers,  and  the  saw-mill  of  a  New  Yorker.  At 
dusk  our  boats  entered  a  little  sound,  and  b}^  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  in  a  region  of  shoal  water,  much  cut  up 
by  oyster  reefs.  The  tide  being  very  low,  the 
boats  were  anchored  inside  of  an  oyster  reef, 
which  afforded  protection  from  the  inflowing 
swell  of  the  sea.  We  shaped  our  course  next 
day  for   St.  Marks,   along  a  low,   marshy  coast, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  283 

where  oyster  reefs,  In  shoal  water,  frequently 
barred  our  progress.  From  South  Cape  to  St. 
Marks  the  coast,  broken  by  the  mouths  of  sev- 
eral creeks  and  rivers,  trends  to  the  northeast, 
while  for  twenty  miles  to  the  east  of  the  light- 
house, which  rises  conspicuously  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  entrance  to  St.  Marks  River,  the 
coast  bends  to  the  southeast  to  the  latitude  of 
Cedar  Keys,  where  it  turns  abruptly  south,  and 
forms  one  side  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida. 

The  irreat  contour  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  into 
which  St.  INIarks  River  empties,  is  known  to 
geographers  as  Apalachee  Bay.  On  that  part 
of  the  coast  between  the  St.  ]Marks  and  Suwanee 
rivers,  the  bed  of  the  Gulf  of  ^Mexico  slopes  so 
gradually  that  when  seven  miles  away  from  the 
land  a  vessel  will  be  in  only  eighteen  feet  of 
water.  At  this  distance  from  the  shore  is  found 
the  continuous  coral  formation;  but  nearer  to 
the   coast  it  is  found   in   spots  onl}'. 

While  traversing  this  coast  from  St.  ^larks  to 
Cedar  Keys,  I  observed  the  peculiar  features  of 
a  long  coast-line  of  salt  marshes,  against  which 
the  waves  broke  gently.  With  the  exception  of 
a  few  places,  where  the  upland  penetrated  these 
savannas  to  the  waters  of  the  sea,  the  marshes 
were  soft  alluvium,  covered  with  tall  coarse 
grasses,  the  sameness  of  which  was  occasionally 
broken  by  a  hammock,  or  low  mound  of  firmer 
soil,  which  rose   like  an   island  out  of  the  level 


284  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

sea  of  green.  The  hammocks  were  heavily 
wooded  with  the  evergreen  live-oaks,  the  yel- 
low pine,  and  the  palmetto.  From  half  a  mile 
to  two  miles  back  of  the  low  savannas  of  the 
coast,  rose,  like  a  wall  of  green,  the  old  forests, 
grand  and  solemn  in  their  primeval  character. 

The  marshes  were  much  cut  up  by  creeks, 
some  of  which  came  from  the  mainland,  but 
most  of  them  had  their  sources  in  the  savannas, 
and  ser\'ed  as  drains  to  the  territory  which  was 
Irequently  submerged  by  the  sea.  When  the 
southerly  winds  send  towards  the  land  a  bois- 
terous sea,  the  long,  natural,  inclined  plane  of 
the  Gulf  bottom  seems  to  act  as  a  pacitier  to 
the  waves,  for  they  break  down  as  they  roll  over 
the  continually  shoaling  area  in  approaching  the 
marshes;  and  there  is  no  undertow,  or  any  of  the 
peculiar  features  which  make  the  surf  on  ether 
parts  of  the  coast  very  dangerous  in  rough 
weather.  The  submarine  grass  growing  upon 
the  sandy  bottom  as  far  as  six  or  eight  miles 
from  shore,  also  helps  to  smooth  down  the 
waves. 

When  the  stroncr  wind  blows  off  the  coast  on 
to  the  Gulf,  it  is  known  to  seamen  as  a  "  north- 
er," and  so  violent  are  these  winds  that  their 
force,  acting  on  the  sea,  rapidly  diminishes  its 
depth  within  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  ot  the 
marshes.  A  coasting-vessel  drawing  five  feet 
of    water    will    anchor    off    Apalachee    Bay    in 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SN2AK-BOX.  285 

eiglit  feet  of  water,  at  the  commencement  of  a 
"  norther,''  and  in  four  or  live  hours,  unless  the 
crew  put  to  sea,  the  vessel  will  be  left  upon  the 
dry  bottom  of  the  Gulf  After  the  wind  falls, 
the  water  will  return,  and  the  equilibrium  will 
be  restored. 

We  ascended  St.  Marks  River,  and  passed  the 
site  of  a  town  which  had  been  washed  out  of 
existence  in  the  year  1843  by  the  effects  of  a 
hurricane  on  the  sea.  These  hurricanes  are  in 
season  during  August  and  September.  The 
village  of  St.  Marks  consisted  of  about  thirty 
houses,  the  occupants  of  which,  with  two  or 
three  exceptions,  were  negroes.  The  land  is 
ver}'  low,  and  at  times  subjected  to  inundation. 
A  railroad  terminated  here,  but  the  business 
of  the  place  supported  only  two  trains  a  week, 
and  they  ran  directly  to  the  capital  of  Florida, 
the  beautiful  city  of  Tallahassee,  eighteen  miles 
distant. 

The  negro  postmaster  courteously  presented 
me  with  my  package  of  letters,  and  I  had  an 
opportunity  to  observe  the  way  in  which  he  ful- 
filled his  duties.  When  the  mail  arrived,  it  was 
thrown  upon  a  desk  in  one  corner  of  a  small 
grocery  store,  and  any  person  desiring  an  epistle 
went  in,  and,  fumbling  over  the  letters,  took 
what  he  claimed  as  his  own. 

The  railroad  agent,  a  young  northerner,  I 
found    sleeping    soundl}'  in  his  telegraph  office, 


286  FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

though  the  noonday  sun  was  pouring  in  his  win- 
dows. He  apologized  for  being  caught  nap- 
ping, but  declared  it  was  his  only  amusement 
in  that  desolate  region  of  damps,  and  assured 
me  a  man  would  deteriorate  less  rapidly  by 
sleeping  away  his  idle  hours  than  by  keeping 
awake  to  what  was  going  on  in  the  neighboring 
hamlet.  Besides  the  United  States  Signal  offi- 
cer, his  only  intelligent  neighbor  was  a  brother 
of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  who  had  pur- 
chased a  property,  two  or  three  years  before,  in 
the  once  flourishing  town  of  Newport,  a  few  miles 
up  the  river.  He  spoke  feelingly  of  the  efforts 
of  the  Rev.  Charles  Beecher  to  educate  his  en- 
franchised negro  neighbors;  of  his  inviting  them 
to  his  house,  and  laboring  for  the  welfare  of  their 
souls.  All  the  patient  and  Christian  efforts  of 
the  philanthropist  had  proved  unavailing,  and 
thieving  and  lying  were  still   much   in  vogue. 

It  has  been  proposed  by  engineers  to  connect 
all  the  interior  Gulf-coast  watercourses  from  the 
Mississippi  River  at  New  Orleans  to  the  Suwa- 
nee  River  in  Florida.  To  achieve  this  end  it 
will  be  necessary  to  excavate  several  canals  at 
points  now  used  as  portages.  From  St.  Marks 
to  the  Suwanee  River  there  are  some  rivers 
which  might  be  used  in  connecting  and  per- 
fecting this  great  interior  water-way. 

I  mentioned  in  my  "Voyage  of  the  Paper  Ca- 
noe," that    preliminary  surveys,   under    General 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  287 

Gilmore,  had  been  made  for  a  continuous  water- 
way across  northern  Florida  to  the  Atlantic 
coast,  via  the  Suwanee  and  St.  Mary's  rivers. 
Detailed  surveys  are  now  in  progress.  Those 
interested  in  this  enterprise  hope  to  see  the 
produce  of  the  Mississippi  valley  towed  in 
barges  through  this  continuous  water-way  from 
New  Orleans  to  the  Atlantic  ports  of  St.  INIary's, 
Fernandina,  Savannah,  and  Charleston.  The 
northwestern  as  well  as  the  southern  states 
would  derive  advantage  from  this  extension  of 
the  Mississippi  system  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard, 
and  its  execution  seems  to  be  considered  by 
many  a  duty  of  the  national  government. 

There  has  been  little  written  upon  the  water- 
courses of  northwestern  Florida,  but  several  of 
the  central,  southern,  and  Atlantic  coast  rivers 
and  lakes  have  been  carefully  explored  by  Mr. 
Frederick  A.  Ober,  of  Massachusetts,  a  young 
and  enthusiastic  naturalist,  who,  as  correspond- 
ent of  the  "  Forest  and  Stream,"  has  pub- 
lished in  the  columns  of  that  paper  a  mass  of 
interesting  and  valuable  geographical  matter, 
throwing  much  light  on  regions  heretofore  un- 
familiar to  the  public. 


288  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

FROM    ST.    MARKS    TO    THE    SUWANEE    RIVER. 

ALONG  THE  COAST.  —  SADDLES  BREAKS  DOWN.  —  A  REFUGE  WITH 
THE  FISHERMEN.  —  CAMP  IN  THE  PALM  FOREST.  —  PARTING  WITH 
SADDLES. —OUR  NEIGHBOR  THE  ALLIGATOR.  —  DISCOVERY  OF 
THE   TRUE   CROCODILE   IN   FLORIDA.  —  THE  DEVIL'S  WOOD-PILE. 

—  DEADMAN'S     bay.  —  BOWLEGS   POINT.  —  THE   COAST   SURVEY 
CAMP.  — A  DAY  ABOARD  THE  "READY."  —  THE  SUWANEE  RIVER. 

—  THE  END. 

LEAVING  St.  Marks,  we  rowed  down  the 
stream  to  the  forks  of  the  St.  Marks  and 
Wakulla  rivers.  The  sources  of  the  Wakulla 
were  twelve  miles  above  these  forks,  and  con- 
sisted of  a  wonderful  spring  of  crystal  water, 
which  could  be  entered  by  small  boats.  This 
curious  river  bursts  forth  as  though  by  a 
single  bound,  from  the  subterranean  caverns 
of  limestone.  Each  of  the  several  remarkable 
springs  in  Florida  is  supposed,  by  those  living 
in  its  vicinity,  to  be  the  veritable  "  fountain  of 
youth;"  and  this  one  shared  the  usual  fate,  for 
we  were  assured  that  this  was  the  spring  for 
which  the  cavalier  Ponce  de  Leon  vainly  sought 
in  the  old  times  of  Spanish  exploration  in  the 
New  World. 


FOLK    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  2S9 

On  Monday,  March  13th,  we  left  St.  ^larks 
River,  and,  as  the  north  wind  blew,  were  forced 
to  keep  from  one  to  two  miles  otf  the  land  on  the 
open  Gulf  to  lind  even  two  feet  of  water.  In 
many  places  we  found  rough  pieces  of  coral 
rocks  upon  the  bottom,  and  in  several  instances 
grounded  upon  them.  As  the  wind  Avent  down, 
the  tide,  which  on  this  coast  frequently  rises  only 
from  eicfhteen  inches  to  two  feet,  favored  us  with 
more  water,  and  by  night  we  were  able  to  get  close 
to  the  marshes,  and  enter  a  little  creek  Avest  of 
the  Ocilla  River,  where,  staking  our  boats  along- 
side the  soft  marsh,  we  supped  on  chocolate  and 
dry  bread,  and  slept  comfortably  in  our  little  craft 
until  morning. 

We  were  now  in  an  almost  uninhabited  re- 
gion, where  only  an  occasional  fisherman  or 
sponger  is  met;  but  as  we  pulled  along  the  coast 
the  day  after  our  camp  in  the  marshes,  we  were 
struck  with  the  absence  of  any  sign  of  the  pres- 
ence of  man.  AVe  had  hoped  to  meet  with  the 
vessels  of  sponge-gatherers  anchored  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rock  Island,  to  which  place  they 
resort  to  clean  their  crop;  but  when  we  passed 
the  island  in  the  afternoon,  so  scantily  clothed 
with  herbage,  and  upon  which  a  few  palms  grew 
out  of  the  shallow  soil,  it  was  deserted,  while 
not  a  single  sail  could  be  seen  upon  the  horizon 
of  the  sea. 

My  companion  had  not  been  well  for  several 

19 


290  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

days,  and  he  informed  me  at  this  late  date  that 
he  was  subject  to  malarial  fever,  or,  as  he  called 
it,  "  swamp  fever/'  It  had  been  contracted  by 
him  while  livino-  on  one  of  the  bavous  of  south- 
ern  Louisiana  during  a  warm  season.  Swamp 
fever,  when  at  its  height,  usually  produces  tem- 
porary insanity;  and  he  alarmed  me  by  stating 
that  he  had  been  deprived  of  his  reason  for 
days  at  a  time  during  his  attacks.  The  use  of 
daily  stimulants  had  kept  up  his  constitutional 
viffor  for  several  months :  but  as  ours  was  a  tem- 
perance  diet,  he  gradually,  after  we  left  Biloxi 
and  the  regions  where  stimulants  could  be  ob- 
tained,  became  nervous,  lost  his  appetite,  and 
was  now  suffering  from  chills  and  fever.  lie  was 
much  depressed  after  leaving  St.  Marks,  and 
had  long-  fits  of  suUenness,  so  that  he  would  row 
for  hours  without  speaking.  I  tried  to  cheer 
him,  and  on  one  occasion  penetrated  the  forest  a 
lono-  distance  to  obtain  some  panacea  with  which 
to  brace  his  unsettled  nerves. 

Saddles  had  deceived  me  as  to  the  necessity 
of  taking  daily  drams,  which  habit  is,  to  say  the 
least,  a  most  inconvenient  one  for  persons  engaged 
in  explorations  of  isolated  parts  of  the  coast,  and 
voyaging  in  small  boats;  so  we  had  both  suffered 
much  in  consequence  of  his  bad  habit.  To  fur- 
nish one  moderate  drinker  with  the  liquid  stim- 
ulant necessary  for  a  boat  voyage  from  New  Or- 
leans to  Cedar  Keys,  at  least  five  gallons  of  whis- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  29 1 

key,  and  a  large  and  heavy  demijohn  in  which 
to  store  it  securely,  must  form  a  portion  of  the 
cargo.  This  bulk  occupies  important  space  in 
the  confined  quarters  of  a  boat,  every  inch  of 
which  is  needed  for  necessary  articles,  while  the 
momentar}'  and  artificial  strength  given  to  the 
system  is  never,  except  as  a  remediable  agent, 
productive  of  any  real  or  lasting  benefit.  My 
unfortunate  com.panion  had  become  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  daily  use  of  liquor,  and  his  shat- 
tered system  had  been  so  propped  by  it,  that 
he  had  been  like  a  man  walking  on  stilts;  and 
now  that  they  were  knocked  away,  his  own  feet 
failed  to  support  him,  and  a  reaction  was  the  in- 
evitable result. 

After  leaving  Rock  Island,  and  when  about 
four  miles  beyond  the  FenhoUoway  River,  while 
off  a  vast  tract  of  marshes,  poor  Saddles  broke 
down  completely.  He  could  not  row  another 
stroke.  I  towed  his  boat  into  a  little  cove,  and 
was  forced  to  leave  him,  with  the  fever  raging 
in  his  blood,  that  I  might  search  for  a  creek, 
and  a  hammock  upon  which  to  camp.  Look- 
ing to  the  east,  I  saw  a  long,  low  point  of  marsh 
projecting  its  attenuated  point  southward,  while 
upon  it  rose  a  signal-stafi'  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survc}'.  A  black  object  seemed  heaped 
against  the  base  of  the  signal;  and  while  I 
gazed  at  what  looked  like  a  bear,  or  a  heap 
of  dark  soil,  it  began  to  move,  breaking  up  into 


292 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


three  or  four  fragments,  each  of  which  seemed 
to  roll  off  into  the  grass,  where  they  disap- 
peared. 

I  pulled  for  the  point  as  rapidl}'  as  possible, 
for  I  hoped,  while  hardl}'  daring  to  believe,  that 


Raddles   Breaks  powN. 


this  singular  apparition  might  be  human  beings. 
The  high  grass  formed  an  impenetrable  barrier 
for  my  curious  vision;  but  nearing  the  spot, 
voices  were  plainly  audible  on  the  other  side  of 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  293 

the  narrow  point,  as  though  a  party  of  men  were 
in  lively  discussion.  Rowing  close  to  the  land, 
and  resting  on  my  oars  to  gain  time  to  recon- 
noitre either  friends  or  foes,  the  deep  but  cul- 
tivated voice  of  a  man  fell  upon  my  ear.  A 
patriot  was  evidently  haranguing  his  fellow- 
fishermen,  who,  after  lunching  beside  the  Coast 
Survey  signal,  and  not  observing  the  proximity 
of  a  stranger,  had  repaired  to  their  boats  on  the 
east  side  of  the  marsh. 

"Yes,"  came  the  tones  of  the  orator  through 
the  high  grass,  "yes,  to  this  state  have  we  Amer- 
icans been  reduced!  Not  satisfied  with  having 
ravaged  our  country,  conquering  but  not  sub- 
duing our  Confederate  government,  the  enemy 
has  put  over  us  a  Carpet-Bag  government  of 
northern  adventurers  and  southern  scalawags 
and  NIGGERS.  Fifty  niggers  sit  as  representa- 
tives of  our  state  in  the  legislature  of  Florida, 
and  vote  in  a  solid  body  for  whichever  party 
pays  them  their  price.  They  are  giving  away 
our  state  lands  to  monopolists,  and  we  have  tax- 
bills  like  this  one  imposed  upon  us."  Here  the 
orator  paused,  apparently  taking  a  paper  from 
his  pocket.  "  Here  it  is,"  he  resumed,  "  in  black 
and  white.  On  a  wild  piece  of  forest  land,  and 
a  few  acres  of  clearing,  (which  they  appraise 
at  twenty-five  cents,  when  it  cost  me  only  six 
cents    and  a  quarter  per   acre,)    I   was   saddled 


294  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

with   this   outrageous   bill.      I  will  read  to   you 
the  several  items: 

Mr.  L.  H Dr. 

To  State  Taxes  proper,     -  - 

General  Sinking  Fund,  - 
Special  Sinking  Fund, 

General  School  Tax,  -  - 

Total  State  Tax,  - 

To  County  Tax  proper,    -     - 
County  School  Tax,    -     - 
Special  County  Building  Tax,  .35 
County  Specific  Tax,  -     - 

Total  County  Tax, 


.70 

on 

- 

- 

$100.00 

•30 

li    . 

- 

- 

100.00 

.16 

tk  _ 

- 

- 

100.00 

.10 

,36 

- 

- 

100.00 

I. 

100.00 

.50 

a     _ 

- 

- 

100.00 

•50 

(;  _ 

- 

- 

100.00 

.  -35 

i.i     . 

- 

- 

100.00 

3.00 

■35 

u  _ 

- 

_ 

100.00 

-3 

100.00 

$4 

.61 

on  - 

- 

_ 

■  100.00 

Total  State  and  County  Tax,      $4.61  on 


"  You  will  find  by  these  figures  that  I  am 
compelled  to  pay  a  state  and  county  tax,  on  an 
over-appraised  property,  amounting  to  four  dol- 
lars and  sixty-one  cents  upon  every  one  hun- 
"dred  dollars  I  possess.  Under  this  kind  of 
taxation  we  are  growing  poorer  every  day  of 
our  lives.  Now,  gentlemen,  can  you  censure 
me  for  detesting  the  Carpet-bag  government  of 
my  native  state  after  you  have  heard  this  state- 
ment? Rome  in  days  of  t3'ranny  did  no  such 
injustice  to  her  citizens.  To  be  a  Roman  was 
greater  than  to  be  a  king;  and  here  let  me  re- 
mark —  Bob  Squash !  what 's  that  you  are 
squinting  at  through  the  grass?"     "  Lor' sakes, 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  295 

Massa  Hampton,  I  does  b'lieve  it's  a  man  in  a 
sort  of  a  boat.     I  ncbber  see  de  like  befo'!  " 

At  this  point  the  company  struggled  through 
the  high  grass  and  invited  me  to  land.  Being 
seriously  alarmed  for  my  companion,  who  was 
lying  helpless  in  his  boat  half  a  mile  away,  I 
quickly  explained  my  situation,  and  was  at  once 
advised  to  ascend  Spring  Creek,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  point  of  marsh,  to  the  swamp,  where  the 
orator  said  I  Avould  find  his  camp,  and  his  part- 
ner in  the  tishing-business,  who  would  assist  me 
to  the  best  of  his  ability.  The  orator  promised 
to  follow  us  after  makinsr  one  more  cast  with 
his  seine  for  red-fish.  I  returned  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible to  Saddles,  and  trying  to  infuse  his  failing 
heart  with  courage,  fastened  his  boat's  painter 
to  the  stern  of  the  duck-boat,  and  followed  the 
course  indicated  by  the  fishermen. 

Upon  entering  Spring  Creek,  with  my  com- 
panion in  tow,  we  were  soon  encompassed  on 
all  sides  by  the  marshes;  and  as  the  boats  slowly 
ascended  the  crooked  stream,  the  fringes  of  the 
feathery-crested  palms  appeared  close  to  the 
margins  of  the  savanna.  The  land  increased 
in  heiijht  a  few  inches  as  I  followed  the  reaches 
of  the  creek,  and,  when  a  mile  from  its  mouth, 
entered  the  rank  luxuriance  of  a  swamp,  where, 
in  a  thicket  of  red  cedars,  palmettos,  and  Span- 
ish bayonets,  I  discovered  two  low  huts,  thatched 
with    palm-leaves,    which     afforded     temporary 


296  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

shelter  to  Captain  F.,  a  planter  from  the  inte- 
rior, his  friend  the  orator,  and  their  emplo3^ees 
both  white  and  black.  The  kind-hearted  cap- 
tain understood  ni}^  companion's  case  at  a 
glance,  and  when  our  tent  was  pitched,  and  a 
comfortable  bed  prepared,  Saddles  w^as  put  un- 
der his  care. 

He  could  not  liave  fallen  into  better  hands,  for 
the  planter  had  gone  through  many  experiences 
in  the  treatment  of  fevers  of  all  kinds.  It  was 
indeed  a  boon  to  find  in  the  unpeopled  wilds 
a  shelter  and  a  physician  for  the  sick  man; 
but  the  future  loomed  heavily  before  me,  for 
though  Saddles  might  improve,  he  would  be 
pretty  sure  on  the  eighth  day  to  have  a  return  of 
his  malady,  and  would  probably  again  break 
down  in   a  raving  condition. 

The  camp  was  a  restful  and  interesting  re- 
treat. To  reach  the  spot,  the  fishing-party  had 
been  obliged  to  cut  a  road  eight  miles  through 
a  swampy  district,  in  places  building  a  rough 
crossway  to  make  their  progress  possible.  The 
creek  had  its  sources  in  several  springs,  which 
burst  from  the  earth  just  above  the  camp.  The 
water  was  of  a  blue  tint,  and  slightly  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur,  lime,  and  iron.  In  this 
secluded  place  there  was  an  abundance  of  deer 
and  wild  turkeys. 

The  early  morning  meal  of  these  hunters  and 
fishermen  was  a  veritable  dejeuner  a   la  four- 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  297 

cJietfe,  for  their  meiiu  included  venison,  tur- 
key, sweet-potatoes,  hoe-cakes  made  from  fresh 
maize  flour,  and  excellent  coffee.  Captain  F. 
and  an  old  negro  woman  remained  in  camp  to 
clean  and  salt  down  the  fish  caught  on  the  pre- 
vious afternoon,  while  the  orator  and  his  party 
went  down  the  creek  in  two  long,  narrow  scows, 
loaded  with  two  nets,  their  necessary  fishing  im- 
plements, and  a  hearty  luncheon.  Long  poles 
were  used  to  propel  their  craft.  Upon  meeting 
with  a  school  of  fish,  they  encompassed  it  with 
the  two  nets,  each  of  which  was  three  hundred 
feet  long,  and  easily  captured  the  whole  lot, 
which   was   composed  of  several  species. 

When  in  luck,  the  fishing-party  returned  to 
the  camp  by  noon;  but  when  the  wind  inter- 
fered with  their  success,  they  did  not  reach  their 
swampy  retreat  until  night.  After  a  rest,  and  a 
good  warm  supper,  the  orator  and  one  of  his 
white  associates,  each  with  his  torch  of  resinous 
pine  wood  and  well-loaded  gun,  would  quietly 
traverse  the  silent  forests  and  grassy  savannas, 
lurinir  to  destruction  the  fascinated  and  unsus- 
pecting  deer.  Thus  stalking  through  the  dark- 
ness, and  peering  eagerly  on  all  sides,  the 
appearance  of  the  fire-like  globes  of  the  deer's 
eyes,  from  the  reflected  light  of  the  hunters' 
torches,  was  the  signal  to  fire,  which  meant, 
with  their  unerring  aim,  death  to  their  prey  and 
future  feasts  for  themselves. 


298  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

With  their  venison  these  men  served  a  very 
palatable  dish  made  from  the  terminal  bud  of 
the  palmetto  known  as  the  "cabbage,"  and  from 
which  the  tree  derives  its  name  of  "cabbage- 
palm."  A  negro  ascended  the  palm  and  cut 
the  bud  at  its  junction  with  the  top  of  the  tree. 
It  was  then  thrown  to  the  ground,  and  climbing 
other  trees,  more  followed  in  quick  succession. 
When  a  sufficient  quantity  had  been  gathered, 
the  turnip  part,  from  which  the  tender  shoot 
starts,  was  cut  off  and  thrown  aside,  as  it  was 
bitter  to  the  taste.  The  shoot,  divested  of  this, 
part,  resembled  a  solid  roll,  from  four  to  six 
inches  in  diameter.  From  this  was  unrolled 
and  thrown  aside  the  outer  covering's,  leav- 
ing  the  tender  white  interior  tissues  about 
three  inches  in  diameter  and  fourteen  inches 
in  length.  Thus  divested  of  all  objectionable 
matter,  the  cabbage  could  be  eaten  raw,  though 
it  was  much  improved  by  cooking,  the  boiling 
process  removing  every  trace  of  the  acrid, 
or  turnip,  flavor.  These  men  ate  it  dressed 
in  the  same  way  as  ordinary  cabbage,  and 
it  was  an  excellent  substitute  for  that  dish. 
The  black  bear  is  as  fond  of  the  palmetto- 
cabbage  as  his  enemy  the  hunter.  He  ascends 
the  tree,  breaks  down  the  palm-leaves,  and  de- 
vours the  bud,  evidentl}'  appreciating  the  feast. 
After  the  removal  of  the  bud  the  tree  dies;  so 
this  is  after  all  an  expensive  dainty. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  299 

Captain  F,  had  pre-empted  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  to  cover  the 
sources  of  Spring  Creek,  and  it  was  his  inten- 
tion to  resort  to  this  camp  every  year  during 
the  mullct-tishing  season,  which  is  from  Septem- 
ber to  January.  The  salted  mullet  is  the  popu- 
lar market-fish  with  the  back-country  people, 
though  the  red-fish  is  by  far  the  finer  for  ta- 
ble use. 

While  with  these  men,  we  were  treated  with 
the  generous  hospitality  known  only  in  the  for- 
est, but  Saddles  did  not  improve.  He  seemed 
to  be  sufferins:  from  a  low  form  of  intermittent 
fever,  and  looked  like  anything  but  a  subject  for 
a  long  row.  Captain  F.  insisted  upon  sending 
the  invalid  in  his  wagon  sixteen  miles  to  his 
home,  where  he  promised  to  nurse  the  unfor- 
tunate man  until  he  was  able  to  travel  forty 
miles  further  to  a  railroad  station.  On  the  15th 
of  March,  the  party,  having  made  their  tinal  ar- 
rangements, were  ready  to  make  the  start  for 
home.     It  was  our  last  day  together. 

Circumstances  over  which  I  had  no  control 
forced  me  to  part  from  Saddles.  I  furnished 
him  with  a  liberal  supply  of  funds  to  enable 
him  to  reach  Fernandina,  Florida,  by  rail,  and 
afterwards  sent  him  a  draft  for  an  amount  suf- 
ficient to  pay  his  expenses  from  Cedar  Keys  to 
New  Orleans,  as  he  abandoned  all  his  previous  in- 
tentions of  returning  to  his  old  home  in  the  north. 


300  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

The  Riddle  with  its  outfit,  and  about  sixty 
pounds  of  shot  and  a  large  supply  of  powder, 
I  presented  to  the  good  captain  who  had  so 
generously  offered  to  care  for  my  unfortunate 
companion.  As  I  was  to  traverse  the  most  des- 
olate part  of  the  coast  between  Spring  Creek  and 
Cedar  Keys  alone,  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  divest 
myself  of  every  thing  that  could  be  spared  from 
my  boat's  outfit,  in  order  to  lighten  the  hull.  I 
had  made  an  estimate  of  chances,  and  concluded 
that  four  or  five  days  would  carry  me  to  the  end 
of  my  voyage,  if  the  weather  continued  favora- 
ble; so,  on  the  evening  of  March  15,  the  little 
duck-boat  was  prepared  for  future  duty. 

The  hunters  and  fishermen  brought  into  camp 
the  spoils  of  the  forest  and  the  treasures  of  the 
sea,  while  the  grinning  negress  exerted  herself 
to  prepare  the  parting  feast.  Deep  in  the  re- 
cesses of  the  wild  swamp  our  camp-fire  crackled 
and  blazed,  sending  up  its  tiaming  tongues  until 
they  almost  met  the  dense  foliage  above  our 
heads,  while  seated  upon  the  ground  we  feasted, 
and  told  tales  of  the  past.  Poor  Saddles  tried 
to  be  cheerful,  but  made  a  miserable  failure  of 
it;  and  his  pale  face  was  the  skeleton  at  our 
banquet,  for  human  nature  is  so  constituted  that 
a  suffering  man  gains  sympathy,  even  though  he 
be  only  paying  the  penalty  of  his  own  past  mis- 
demeanors. 

My  boat  was  tied  alongside  the  bank  of  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SXEAK-BOX.  301 

creek,  close  to  the  palmetto  huts.  There  were 
only  two  feet  of  \vatcr  in  the  stream  as  I  sat 
in  the  little  sneak-box  at  midniijht  and  went 
through  the  usual  preparations  for  stowing  my- 
self away  for  the  night.  I  touched  the  clear 
water  with  my  hands  as  it  laved  the  sides  of 
my  floating  home,  but  m}'  gaze  could  not  pen- 
etrate the  limpid  current,  for  the  heavy  shades 
of  the  palms  gave  it  a  dark  hue.  I  thought  of 
the  duties  of  the  morrow,  and  also  of  poor  Sad- 
dles, who  was  tossing  uneasily  upon  the  blankets 
in  his  tent  near  by,  when  there  was  a  mysterious 
movement  in  the  water  under  the  boat.  Some- 
thing unusual  was  there,  for  its  presence  was 
betrayed  by  the  large  bubbles  of  air  which 
came  up  from  the  bottom  and  floated  upon  the 
surface  of  the  water.  Being  too  sleepy  to  make 
an  investigation,  I  coiled  myself  in  my  nest,  and 
drew  the  hatch-cover  over  the  hold. 

The  next  morning  my  friends  clustered  on  the 
bank,  giving  me  a  kind  farewell  as  I  pushed  the 
duck-boat  srentlv  into  the  channel  of  the  creek. 
Suddenly  Saddles,  who  had  been  gazing  ab- 
stractedly into  the  water  under  my  boat,  hur- 
ried into  the  tent,  and  in  an  instant  reappeared 
with  the  ffun  I  had  g'iven  him  in  his  hands. 
He  slowly  pointed  it  at  the  spot  in  the  Avater 
where  my  boat  had  been  moored  during  the 
night,  and  drawing  the  trigger,  an  explosion  fol- 
lowed, while  the  water  flew  upward  in  fine  jets 


302  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

into  the  air.  Then,  to  the  astonished  ofaze  of 
the  party  on  the  bank,  an  alhgator  as  long  as 
my  boat  arose  to  view,  and,  roused  by  the  shock, 
hurried  into  deeper  water. 

It  was  now  evident  Avhat  the  lodger  under  my 
boat  had  been,  and  I  confess  the  thousrht  of 
being  separated  from  this  fierce  saurian  by  only 
half  an  inch  of  cedar  sheathinsr  during-  a  lone 
night,  was  not  a  pleasant  one;  and  I  shuddered 
while  my  imagination  pictured  the  consequences 
of  a  nocturnal  bath  in  which  I  mioht  have  in- 
dulged. 

Having  observed  in  different  countries  the  hab- 
its of  some  of  the  individuals  which  compose 
the  order  Sauria,  —  the  lizards, —  I  Avill  pre- 
sent to  the  reader  what  I  have  gleaned  from  m}^ 
observation  upon  two  species,  one  of  which  is 
the  true  alligator  (A.  Mississippi ensis) ^  the 
other  the  well-known  true  crocodile  (  C.  actttus\ 
which  recently  has  been  declared  an  inhabitant 
of  the  United  States.  It  is  only  a  few  years 
since  it  was  found  living  on  the  North  Amer- 
ican continent,  for  previous  to  its  discovery  in 
southern  Florida,  its  nearest  known  habitat  to 
the  United  States  was  the  island  of  Cuba. 

The  order  of  lizards  is  separated  into  families. 
The  family  to  which  the  alligators,  crocodiles, 
and  gavials  belong,  is  called  by  naturalists  Cro- 
CODiLO.  The  distinctions  which  srovern  the 
separation    of   the    family  Crocodilo    into    the 


%? 


-'/S 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  303 

three  genera  of  alligators,  crocodiles,  and  gavials, 
consist  of  peculiarities  in  the  shape  of  the  head, 
in  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  teeth,  ^vebbing 
of  the  feet,  and  in  some  minor  characteristics; 
for,  outside  of  these  not  ^'ery  important  anatom- 
ical differences,  the  habits  of  the  three  kinds  of 
reptiles  are  in  most  respects  quite  similar,  some 
of  the  species  being  more  ferocious,  and  conse- 
quently more  dangerous,  than  others. 

The  alligator,  also  called  caiman  by  the  Span- 
ish-American Creoles,  inhabits  the  rivers  and 
bayous  of  the  North  and  South  American  conti- 
nents, while  the  crocodiles  are  natives  of  Africa, 
of  the  West  Indies,  and  of  South  America.  The 
fierce  gavial  genus  is  Asian,  and  abounds  in  the 
rivers  of  India.  The  alligatoi  (^A.  JSIississippien- 
sis)  and  the  crocodile  (^C.  acidus)  are  the  only 
species  which  particularly  interest  the  people  of 
the  United  States,  for  they  both  belong  to  our 
own  fauna. 

Our  alligator  inhabits  the  rivers  and  swamp}^ 
districts  of  the  southern  states.  I  ha\c  never 
heard  of  their  being  found  north  of  the  Neuse 
River,  though  they  probably  ascend  in  small 
numbers  some  of  the  numerous  rivers  and  creeks 
of  the  northern  side  of  Albemarle  Sound  in 
North  Carolina.  The  bayous  and  swamps  of 
Louisiana  and  the  low  districts  of  Florida  are 
particularly  infested  with  these  animals.  The 
frequent  visits  of  man  to  their  haunts  makes  them 


304  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

timid  of  his  presence;  bi:t  where  he  is  rarely  or 
never  seen,  the  larger  alligators  become  more 
dangerous.  During  warm,  sunny  days  this  rep- 
tile delights  in  basking  in  the  sunlight  upon  the 
bank  of  a  stream  for  hours  at  a  time.  At  the 
approach  of  man  he  crawls  or  slides  from  his 
slimy  bed  into  the  water,  but  if  his  retreat  be 
cut  off,  or  he  become  excited,  a  powerful  odor  of 
musk  exudes  from  his  body.  During  the  winter 
months  he  hibernates  in  the  mud  of  the  bayous 
for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time.  When  the  alli- 
gator enters  the  water,  a  pair  of  lips  or  valves 
close  tightly,  hermetically  sealing  his  ears  so  that 
even  moisture  cannot  penetrate  them.  His  nos- 
trils are  protected  in  the  same  way. 

As  the  season  for  incubation  approaches,  the 
female  searches  for  a  sandy  spot,  and  digging  a 
hole  with  her  fore-feet,  deposits  there  her  eggs, 
which  are  somewhat  smaller  than  those  of  a 
goose.  They  are  usually  placed  in  layers,  care- 
full}^  covered  up  in  the  sand,  and  if  not  disturbed 
by  wild  animals,  are  hatched  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  alligator 
cannot  find  a  sand-bank  in  which  to  place  her 
eggs,  and  on  such  occasions  she  scrapes  together 
with  her  fore-feet  grass,  leaves,  bark,  and  sticks, 
mixed  with  mud,  and  converting  the  whole  into 
a  low  platform,  deposits  the  eggs  upon  it  in  sep- 
arate layers,  each  layer  being  sandwiched  with 
the  mixture  of  mud,  sticks,  &c.,  until   more  than 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  305 

one  hundred  white  eggs,  of  a  faint  green  tint,  are 
carefully  stowed  away  in  the  nest. 

The  exterior  of  the  nest,  which  has  a  mound- 
like character,  is  daubed  over  with  mud,  the  tail 
of  the  alligator  being  used  as  a  trowel.  The  first 
duties  of  maternity  being  over,  the  female  alliga- 
tor acts  as  policeman  until  the  eggs  are  hatched. 
Her  office  is  not  a  sinecure,  for  the  fowls  oi'  the 
air,  and  the  creeping  things  upon  earth,  are  at- 
tracted to  the  entombed  delicacies  secreted  in  this 
oven-like  structure  in  the  swamp.  Many  a  luck- 
less coon  and  cracker's  pig  searching  for  a  break- 
fast, receive  instead  a  blow  from  the  strong  tail 
of  the  female  alligator,  and  are  swept  into  the 
grasp  of  her  terrible  and  relentless  jaws. 

ISIoisture  and  heat  act  their  parts  in  assisting 
the  process  of  incubation,  and  the  little  alliga- 
tors, a  few  inches  in  length,  issue  from  the  shell, 
and  are  welcomed  bv  their  mail-clad  mother  into 
the  new  world. 

Like  young  turtles  just  from  the  shell,  the  baby 
alligators  make  for  the  v/ater,  but  unlike  the 
young  of  the  sea-turtles,  the  saurians  have  the 
assistance  of  their  parent,  who  not  unfrequently 
takes  a  load  of  them  upon  her  back.  From  the 
first  inception  of  nest-building  until  the  young 
are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves,  this  reptile 
mother,  like  the  female  wild-turkey,  resists  the 
encroachments  of  her  mate  who  would  devour, 
not  only  the  eggs,  but  his  own  crawling  children. 
20 


3o6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

In  fact,  if  opportunity  were  offered  by  the  absence 
of  the  mother  from  the  nest  and  the  young,  his 
aHigatorship  would  eat  up  all  his  progen}^,  and 
exterminate  his  species,  without  a  particle  of  re- 
gret. He  has  no  pride  in  the  perpetuation  of  his 
family,  and  it  is  to  the  maternal  instincts  of  his 
good  wife  that  we  owe  the  preservation  of  the 
alligator. 

The  young  avoid  the  larger  males  until  they 
are  strong  enough  to  protect  themselves,  feeding 
in  the  mean  time  upon  fish  and  flesh  of  every  de- 
scription. In  the  water  they  move  with  agility, 
but  on  land  their  long  bodies  and  short  legs  pre- 
vent rapid  motion.  They  migrate  during  droughts 
from  one  slough  or  ba3'0u  to  another,  crossing  the 
intervening  upland.  When  discovered  on  these 
journeys  by  inan,  the  alligator  feigns  death,  or  at 
least  appears  to  be  in  an  unconscious  state;  but 
if  an  antagonist  approach  within  reach  of  that 
terrible  tail,  a  blow,  a  sweep,  and  a  snapping  to- 
gether of  the  jaws  prove  conclusively  his  danger- 
ous character.  He  is  a  good  fisherman,  and  can 
also  catch  ducks,  drawing  them  by  their  feet 
under  water.  The  dog  is,  however,  the  favorite 
diet  of  these  saurians,  and  the  negroes  make  use 
of  a  crying  puppy  to  allure  the  creature  from  the 
bottom  of  a  shoal  bayou  within  reach  of  their 
guns. 

Though  clad  in  a  coat  of  thick,  bony  scales, 
a  well-directed   charo-e  of  buckshot  from  a  c'un. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  307 

or  a  lead  ball  from  a  musket,  will  penetrate  the 
body,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  to 
the  contrary. 

The  negroes  in  the  Gulf  states  say  that  "  de 
'gators  swallows  a  pine  knot  afore  dey  goes  into 
de  mud-burrows  for  de  winter;"  and  the  fact 
that  pine  knots  and  pieces  of  wood  are  found 
in  the  stomachs  of  these  animals  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  gives  a  shade  of  truth  to  this  state- 
ment. Even  the  hardest  substances,  such  as 
stones  and  broken  bottles,  are  taken  in  consider- 
able quantities  from  the  bodies  of  dead  alligators. 
Their  digestive  organs  are  certainly  not  sensitive, 
their  nervous  systems  not  delicate,  and  their  in- 
tellioj'ence  not  remarkable.  It  gives  an  alligator 
but  little  inconvenience  to  shoot  off  a  portion  of 
his  head  with  a  mass  of  the  brain  attached  to  it; 
and  they  ha\e  been  known  to  tight  for  hours  with 
the  entire  brain  removed. 

Though  generally  fleeing  from  man  upon  terra 
fin]ia,\.\\Q  alligator  will  quickly  attack  him  in  the 
water.  A  friend  of  mine,  mounted  upon  his 
horse,  was  crossing  a  Florida  river  in  the  wilder- 
ness, when  entering  the  channel  of  the  stream, 
the  horse's  feet  did  not  touch  the  bottom,  and  he 
swam  for  a  moment  or  two,  struggling  with  the 
current.  My  friend  suddenly  felt  a  severe  grip 
upon  his  leg,  and  the  pressure  of  sharp  teeth 
through  his  trousers,  when,  realizing  in  a  flash 
that  an  alligator's  jaws  were  fastened  upon  him, 


3o8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

he  clasped  the  neck  of  his  horse  with  all  his 
strength.  For  a  few  seconds  he  was  in  danger 
of  beinsf  drao-o-ed  from  the  back  of  his  faithlul 
animal;  but  his  dog,  following  in  the  rear,  gained 
quickly  on  the  struggling  horse,  and  the  alliga- 
tor, true  to  his  well-known  taste,  loosed  his  hold 
upon  the  man,  and  catching  the  dog  in  his  strong 
jaws,  dragged  the  poor  brute  to  the  bottom  of  the 
river. 

The  alligator  is  fast  disappearing  from  our 
principal  southern  rivers,  and  is  also  being  cap- 
tured in  considerable  numbers  in  isolated  bayous 
by  hunters,  who  kill  the  creature  for  his  hide,  as 
the  alligator  boots  have  a  durability  not  possessed 
by  any  other  leather. 

There  is  much  interest  connected  with  the 
discovery  of  the  existence  of  the  true  crocodile 
(C  acutus)  in  the  Floridian  peninsula.  While 
the  allisr^tors  have  broader  heads,  shorter  snouts, 
and  more  numerous  teeth  than  the  crocodiles, 
the  unscientilic  hunter  can  at  once  identify  the 
true  crocodile  ( C  acittus)  by  two  holes  in  the 
upper  jaw,  into  which  and  through  which 
the  two  principal  teeth  or  tushes  of  the  lower 
jaw  protrude,  and  can  be  seen  by  looking  down 
upon  the  head  of  the  animal.  The  longest  teeth 
of  the  alligator  do  not  thus  protrude  through  the 
head  or  snout,  but  fit  into  sockets  in  the  upper 
jaw.  I  first  studied  the  true  crocodile  in  the 
island    of   Cuba,   where   there   are   two    distinct 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  309 

species  of  the  genus,  one  of  which  is  our  Florida 
species  (C  acutiis).  At  that  time  science  was 
blind  to  the  fact  that  the  true  crocodile  was  a 
member  of  the  fauna  of  the  United  States.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  "  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History,"  held  May  19,  1869,  the  late  compara- 
tive anatomist,  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman,  exhibited  the 
head  of  a  crocodile  (C  aciitus)  which  had  been 
sent  him  by  William  H.  Hunt,  Esq.,  of  Miami 
River,  which  stream  flows  out  of  the  ever- 
glades and  empties  into  Key  Biscayene  Bay, 
at  the  south-eastern  end  of  the  Floridian  penin- 
sula. 

A  second  cranium  of  the  Sharp-nosed  Croco- 
dile was  afterwards  obtained  from  the  same  local- 
ity, but  the  honor  of  killing  and  recognizing  one 
of  these  huge  monsters  belongs  to  the  young  and 
enterprising  author  of  the  "  Birds  of  Florida;  "  a 
work  full  of  original  information,  the  illustrations 
of  which,  as  well  as  the  setting  up  of  the  type, 
being  the  work  of  the  author's  own  hands.  I 
refer  to  Mr.  C.  J.  Maynard,  of  Newtonville, 
Massachusetts,  who  has  furnished  me  with  a 
graphic  description  of  his  meeting  with,  and  the 
capture  of,  the  crocodile  while  encraircd  in  his 
ornithological  pursuits  during  the  year  1867. 
Mr.  Maynard  says: 

"This  crocodile  is  particularly  noticeable  for 
its  fierceness.  I  have  met  with  it  but  once. 
Three  of  us  were  crossing  the  country-  which  lies 


3IO  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

between  Lake  Harney  and  Indian  River,  on  foot, 
when  Ave  caine  to  a  dense  swamp.  As  we  were 
passing  through  it  we  discovered  a  huge  reptile, 
which  resembled  an  alligator,  lying  in  a  stream 
just  to  the  right  of  our  path.  He  was  apparently 
asleep.  We  approached  cautiously  within  ten 
rods  of  him,  and  hred  two  rifle-shots  in  quick 
succession.  The  balls  took  eflect  in  front  of  his 
fore-leg,  and  striking  within  two  inches  of  each 
other,  passed  entirely  through  his  bod}'.  As 
soon  as  he  felt  the  wounds  he  stru^o-led  violent- 
1}',  twisting  and  writhing,  but  finally  became 
quiet. 

"We  waded  in,  and  approached  him  as  he  lay 
upon  a  bed  of  green  aquatic  plants  with  his  head 
towards  us.  It  was  resting  on  the  mud,  and  one 
of  the  party  was  about  to  place  his  foot  upon  it, 
when  a  lively  look  in  the  animal's  eyes  deterred 
him.  Stooping  down,  he  picked  up  a  floating 
branch,  and  lightly  threw  it  in  the  reptile's  face. 
The  result  was  somewhat  surprising.  The  huge 
jaws  opened  instantly,  and  the  formidable  tail 
came  round,  sweeping  the  branch  into  his  mouth, 
where  it  was  crushed  and  ground  to  atoms  b}^ 
the  rows  of  sharp  teeth.  His  eyes  flashed  fire, 
and  he  rapidly  glided  forward.  Never  did  ma- 
gician of  Arabian  tale  conjure  a  fiercer-looking 
demon  by  wave  of  his  wand  than  had  been 
raised  to  life  by  the  motion  of  a  branch.  For 
a  moment  we  were  too  astonished  to  move. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  3II 

"  The  hiisre  monster  seemed  bent  on  revensfe, 
and  in  another  instant  would  be  upon  us.  We 
then  saw  our  danger,  and  quicker  than  a  flash  of 
hw'ht,  thouofht  and  action  came.  The  next  mo- 
ment  the  orjcrantic  saurian  was  made  to  struerijle 
on  his  back  with  a  bullet  in  his  brain.  It  had 
entered  his  rioht  eve,  and  had  been  aimed  so 
nicely  as  not  to  cut  the   lids. 

"  To  make  sure  of  him  this  time,  we  severed 
his  jugular  vein.  While  pertbrming  this  not 
ver}^  delicate  operation,  he  thrust  out  two  sin- 
o^ular-lookins:  glands  from  slits  in  his  throat. 
They  were  round,  resembling  a  sea-urchin,  being 
covered  with  minute  projections,  and  were  about 
the  size  of  a  nutmeg,  giving  out  a  strong,  musky 
odor.  We  then  took  his  dimensions,  and  found 
he  was  over  ten  feet  in  length,  while  his  body 
was  larger  round  than  a  flour-barrel.  The  im- 
mense  jaws  were  three  feet  long,  and  when 
stretched  open  would  readily  take  in  the  body 
of  a  man.  They  were  armed  with  rows  of  sharp, 
white  teeth.  The  tusks  of  the  lower  one,  when 
it  was  closed,  projected  out  through  two  holes 
in  the  upper,  which  fact  proved  to  us  that  it  was 
not  a  common  alligator,  but  a  true  crocodile 
(  C.  a  cut  us) ." 

If  Mr.  Mavnard  had  been  at  that  time  aware 
of  the  value  of  the  prize  he  had  captured,  the 
market-price  of  which  was  some  four  or  five 
hundred  dollars,  he  would  not  have  abandoned 


312  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

his  crocodile.  He  afterwards  sent  for  its  head, 
but  could  not  obtain  it.  This  reptile  will  prob- 
ably be  found  more  numerous  about  the  head- 
waters of  the  Miami  River  than  further  north. 
It  sometimes  attains  a  lenoth  of  seventeen  feet. 
Since  Mr.  Maynard  shot  his  crocodile,  others 
from  the  north  have  searched  for  the  C.  acutiis^ 
and  one  naturalist  from  Rochester,  New  York, 
captured  a  specimen,  and  attempted  to  make  a 
new  species  of  it  by  giving  it  the  specific  name 
of  Floridanas,  in  place  of  the  older  one  of  C. 
acutus. 

The  morning  sun  was  shining  brightly  as  I 
pulled  steadily  along  the  coast,  passing  Warrior 
Creek  six  miles  from  my  starting-point  off  the 
shores  of  Spring  Creek.  About  this  locality  the 
rocky  bottom  was  exchanged  for  one  of  sand. 
Having  rowed  eleven  miles,  a  small  sandy  is- 
land, one-third  of  a  mile  from  shore,  offered  a 
resting-place  at  noon;  and  there  I  dined  upon 
bread  and  cold  canned  beef.  A  mile  further  to 
the  eastward  a  sandy  point  of  the  marsh  extended 
into  the  Gulf  A  dozen  oaks,  two  palmettos,  and 
a  shanty  in  ruins,  upon  this  bleak  territory,  were 
the  distinctive  features  which  marked  it  as  Jug 
Island,  though  the  firm  ground  is  only  an  island 
rising  out  of  the  marshes.  Sandy  points  jutting 
from  the  lowlands  became  more  numerous  as  I 
progressed  on  my  route.  Four  miles  from  Jug 
Island  the  wide  debouchure  of  Blue  Creek  came 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  313 

into  view,  with  an  unoccupied  fishing-shanty  on 
each  side  of  its  mouth. 

Crossing  at  dusk  to  the  east  shore  of  the  creek, 
I  landed  in  shoal  water  on  a  sandy  strand,  when 
the  wind  arose  to  a  tempest,  driving  the  water 
on  to  the  land ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  my 
watch-tackle,  the  little  duck-boat  must  have 
sought  other  quarters.  As  it  was,  she  was  soon 
high  and  dry  on  a  beach;  and  once  beneath  her 
sheltering  hatch,  I  slept  soundly,  regardless  of 
the  screeching  winds  and  dashing  seas  around 
me. 

Before  the  sun  had  oilded  the  waters  the  next 
morning,  the  wind  subsided,  my  breakfast  was 
cooked  and  eaten,  and  the  boat's  prow  pointed 
towards  the  desolate,  almost  uninhabited,  wil- 
derness of  Deadman's  Bay.  The  low  tide  an- 
noyed me  somewhat,  but  when  the  wind  arose 
it  was  fair,  and  assisted  all  day  in  my  progress. 
The  marine  grasses,  upon  which  the  turtles  feed, 
covered  the  bottom;  and  many  curious  forms 
were  moving  about  it  in  the  clear  water.  Six 
miles  from  Blue  Creek  I  found  a  low  grassy 
island  of  several  acres  in  extent,  and  while  in 
its  vicinity  frequently  grounded;  but  as  the  water 
was  shoal,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  jump  over- 
board and  push  the  lightened  boat  over  the 
reefs. 

About  noon  the  wind  freshened,  and  forced 
mc  nearer  to  the  shore.     As  I  crossed  channel- 


314  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

ways,  between  shoals,  the  porpoises,  which  were 
pursuing  their  prey,  frequently  got  aground,  and 
presented  a  curious  appearance  working  their 
way  over  a  submarine  ridge  by  turning  on  their 
sides  and  squirming  like  eels.  By  two  o'clock 
p.  M.,  the  wind  forced  me  into  the  bight  of  Dead- 
man's  Bay.  The  gusts  were  so  furious  that  pru- 
dence demanded  a  camp,  and  it  was  eagerly 
souo-ht  for  in  the  reerion  of  ominous  name  and 
gloomy  associations.  I  had  been  told  that  there 
was  but  one  living  man  in  this  bay,  which  is 
more  than  twent}^  miles  wide.  This  settler  lived 
two  miles  up  the  Steinhatchee  River,  which 
flows  into  the  bight  of  Deadman's  Bay. 

In  a  certain  part  of  the  wilderness  of  this  re- 
gion a  tract  of  savanna  and  pine  lands  approached 
near  to  the  waters  of  the  Gulf,  and  was  known 
as  the  "Devil's  Wood  Pile."  Superstition  has 
made  this  much-dreaded  forest  the  scene  of  wild 
and  horrible  tales.  Fishermen  had  warned  me 
of  its  dismal  shades,  and  of  the  wild  cattle  which 
roamed  unheeded  through  its  dreary  recesses. 
Hunters,  they  said,  had  entered  it  in  strong  force, 
but  the  wild  bulls  were  so  fierce  that  the  bravest 
were  driven  back,  and  the  dangerous  task  aban- 
doned. Calves  had  been  born  in  the  fastnesses 
of  the  "  Devil's  Wood  Pile,"  and  had  grown  old 
without  being  branded  by  their  owners,  who 
feared  the  sharp  horns  of  the  paternal  bulls,  the 
courageous  defenders  of  their  native  pastures. 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  315 

Skirting  the  marshy  savannas  of  His  Satanic 
Majesty's  earthly  dominion,  I  ascended  the  Stein- 
hatchee  River,  when  a  clearing  v^ith  a  rough 
house  and  store  gave  unmistakable  signs  of  the 
proximity  of  the  settler  of  whom  I  had  heard.  I 
was  preparing  to  make  my  camp  near  the  land- 
ing, when  the  proprietor  made  his  appearance, 
courteously  inviting  me  to  his  house,  where  he 
held  me  a  willing  prisoner  for  three  days,  giving 
me  much  information  in  regard  to  life  in  the 
woods.  He  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Seminole 
war,  and  had  passed  through  varied  experiences, 
but  had  "settled  down,"  as  he  expressed  it,  to 
the  red-cedar  business.  Six  long  years  had  this 
man  and  his  wife  delved  and  toiled  in  the  deso- 
late region  of  Deadman's  Bay,  seeing  no  one 
except  a  few  cedar-cutters  from  the  interior,  who 
stocked  up  at  his  store  before  going  into  the  wil- 
derness. 

A  great  deal  of  red  cedar  is  cut  on  the  shores 
and  in  the  back  country  of  the  Steinhatchee 
River.  The  squatters  and  small  farmers,  called 
crackers^  engaged  in  this  work,  are  not  hampered 
by  the  eighth  commandment,  and  Uncle  Sam  has 
to  suffer  in  consequence,  most  of  the  timber  be- 
ins:  cut  on  United  States  government  reserves. 
It  finds  its  way  to  the  cedar  warehouses  of  mer- 
chants in  the  town  of  Cedar  Keys.  I  have  seen 
whole  rafts  of  this  valuable  red  cedar  towed  into 
Cedar  Keys   and   sold   there,   when   the   parties 


3l6  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

purchasing  knew  it  to  be  stolen  from  the  gov- 
ernment lands.  My  kind  host,  Mr.  James  H. 
Stephens,  was  the  iirst  honest  purchaser  of  this 
government  cedar  I  had  met,  for  he  cheerfully 
and  promptly  paid  the  requisite  tax  upon  it,  and 
seemed  to  be  endeavoring  to  protect  the  prop- 
erty of  the  government. 

From  Mr.  Stephens's  hospitable  home  I  pro- 
ceeded along  the  Gulf,  past  Rocky  Creek,  to 
Frog  Island,  a  treeless  bit  of  territory  where  a 
little  shanty  had  been  erected  by  the  Coast  Sur- 
vey officers  to  shelter  a  tide-gauge  watcher. 
The  island  was  now  deserted.  The  coast  was 
indeed  desolate,  and  it  was  a  cheering  sight  in 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  signs  of  the  past  presence  of  man  on  Pepper- 
tish  Key,  an  island  a  little  distance  from  land, 
rising  out  of  the  sparkling  sea,  and  crowned 
with  a  rough  but  picturesque  shanty,  —  another 
reminder  of  the  untiring  efforts  of  our  Coast  Sur- 
vey Bureau. 

A  prominent  point  of  land  near  this  islet  runs 
far  into  the  Gulf,  and  is  known  as  Bowlegs  Point, 
supposed  to  be  named  after  a  chief  of  the  Semi- 
nole Indians,  whom  I  happened  to  meet  many 
3'ears  before  I  saw  the  point  which  had  the 
honor  of  bearing  his  name.  Our  meeting  was 
in  a  southern  cit}',  but  I  had  the  misfortune  to 
appear  on  the  wrong  day,  and  lost  the  honor 
•of  being  received  by  that  celebrity,  as  he  had 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  317 

partaken  too  freely  of  the  hospitality  of  his  white 
friends,  and  could  only  utter,  "  Big  Injuin  don't 
receive!      Big  Injuin  too  much  drunk!  " 

As  night  approached  I  crossed  a  large  bay, 
and  entered  the  very  shoal  water  off  Horse  Shoe 
Point,  close  to  Horse  Shoe  and  Bird  islands. 
These  pretty  islets  were  green  with  palmetto 
and  other  foliage,  while  upon  the  firm  land  of 
Horse  Shoe  Point  appeared,  in  the  last  rays  of 
the  setting  sun,  a  white  sandy  strand  crowned 
with  a  palmetto  hut  and  a  little  white  tent. 
Two  finely  modelled  boats  rested  upon  the 
beach,  and  five  miles  out  to  sea  was  pictured 
upon  the  horizon,  like  a  phantom  ship,  the  weird 
and  indistinct  outlines  of  a  United  States  Coast 
Survey  schooner.  The  tide  was  on  the  last  of 
the  ebb,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  get  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  point,  I  anchored  my  little 
craft,  built  a  fire  in  my  bake-kettle,  made  coffee 
on  board,  and,  quietly  turning  in  for  a  doze, 
rested  until  the  tide  arose,  when  in  the  darkness 
I  hauled  my  boat  ashore  and  awaited  the  "  break 
o'  day." 

As  soon  after  breakfast  as  wood-etiquette  ad- 
mitted, I  joined  the  party  on  the  beach,  and  was 
welcomed  to  their  breakfast-table  under  the 
shelter  of  their  pretty  white  tent;  learning, 
much  to  my  satisfaction,  that  I  was  an  ex- 
pected guest,  as  my  arrival  had  been  looked 
for   some    days   before.      This    party   from    the 


3l8  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

schooner  "  Ready  "  was  engaged  in  establishing 
a  base-line  two  miles  in  length  at  Horse  Shoe 
Point,  and  was  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  F.  Whal- 
ley  Perkins,  who  was  assisted  by  Messrs.  John 
De   Woli;    R.   E.   Duvall,  Jr.,   and   William    S. 

Bond. 

The  readers  of  my  "  Voyage  of  the  Paper  Ca- 
noe "  may  recognize  in  Mr.  Bond,  a  member  of 
this  party,  a  gentleman  whom  I  had  met  on 
board  the  Coast  Survey  vessel  "Casswell,''  in 
Bull's  Bay,  on  the  South  Carolina  coast,  the 
previous  winter.  Only  those  who  have  gone 
through  similar  experiences  can  imagine  what 
I  felt  at  being  thus  brought  into  contact  with 
men  of  intelligence.  It  was  as  though  a  man 
had  been  pulling  through  a  heavy  fog,  and  sud- 
denly the  sun  burst  forth  in  all  its  glory.  Na- 
ture is  grand  and  restful,  and  green  savannas 
and  tranquil  waters  leave  fair  pictures  in  our 
memories;  but  after  all,  man  is  eminently  a  so- 
cial being,  and  needs  companions  of  his  kind. 

My  lonely  voyage  had  been  so  monotonous  that 
this  return  to  the  society  of  civilized  man  had  a 
peculiar  effect  upon  my  mind,  it  being  in  so 
receptive  a  state  that  the  most  minute  incident 
w^as  noted;  and  the  tent  with  its  surroundings, 
the  breaktast-table  with  its  genial  hosts,  the  very 
appearance  of  the  water  and  the  sky,  were  so  in- 
delibly impressed  upon  my  memory  that  they 
never  can  be  effaced.     It  is  fortunate  the  pict- 


^^^.  '-"■^<^ 

-C 

f_  o-i 

■cS 


4      ? 


s   (C    5     r 


<.  '.r' 


FOUR    MONTHS    IX    A    SNEAK-BOX.  319 

ure    is    a  pleasant  one,  as  in  fact  were  all    the 
hours  passed  with  the  gentlemen  of  the  schooner 

Reacl3\ 

On  Saturday  evening  the  party  prepared  to 
go  on  board  the  Ready;  and  as  I  was  to  pass 
Sunday  with  them,  it  was  deemed  prudent  to 
send  my  boat  to  a  safe  anchorage-ground  on 
the  east  side  of  Horse  Shoe  Bay,  where,  moored 
among  some  islands,  my  floating  home  would 
be  protected  from  boisterous  seas  and  covetous 
fishermen. 

Climbinor  the  sides  of  the  Ready,  I  was  filled 
with  admiration  for  the  beautiful  vessel,  the  last 
one  built  especially  for  the  Coast  Survey  ser- 
vice. The  entire  craft,  w^ith  its  clean  decks  and 
well-arranged  interior,  was  a  model  of  order  and 
skilful  arrano^ement.  The  home-like  cabin,  with 
its  books  and  various  souvenirs  of  the  officers, 
was  in  stransre  contrast  with  the  close  quarters 
of  my  own  little  boat.  The  day  was  most 
pleasantly  passed;  and  as  the  morrow  threat- 
ened to  be  windy,  Mr.  Perkins  kindly  oflered 
to  put  me  on  board  the  sneak-box  before  sunset. 
The  o-icr  was  manned  by  a  stalwart  crew  of  sail- 
ors,  and  the  chief  of  the  party  took  the  tiller- 
ropes  in  his  hands  as  we  dashed  away  through 
the  waves  towards  Horse  Shoe  Bay. 

At  four  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  the  shel- 
tered waters  of  a  miniature  archipelago  close  to 
the  coast,  and  I  beheld  with  a  degree  of  aflec- 


320  FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 

tion  and  satisfaction,  experienced  only  by  a  boat- 
man, my  own  little  craft  floating  safely  at  her 
moorings.  The  officers  gave  me  a  sailor's  hearty 
farewell,  the  boat's  crew  bent  to  their  oars  and 
were  soon  far  in  the  offing,  growing  each  mo- 
ment more  indistinct  while  I  gazed,  until  a 
white  speck,  like  a  gull  resting  upon  the  sea, 
was  the  onl}^  visible  sign  left  me  of  Mr.  Perkins 
and  his  party. 

My  voyage  of  twenty-six  hundred  miles  was 
nearly  ended.  The  beautiful  Suwanee  River, 
from  which  I  had  emerged  in  my  paper  canoe 
one  3'ear  before,  (when  I  had  terminated  a 
voyage  of  twenty-five  hundred  miles  begun  in 
the  high  latitude  of  Canada,)  was  only  a  few 
miles  to  the  eastward.  Upon  reaching  its  de- 
bouchure on  the  Gulf  coast,  the  termini  of  the 
two  voyages  would  be  united.  It  would  be 
only  a  few  hours'  pull  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Suwanee  to  the  port  of  Cedar  Keys,  whose 
railroad  facilities  offered  to  the  boat  and  her 
captain  quick  transportation  across  the  penin- 
sula of  Florida  to  Fernandina,  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  where  kind  friends  had  prepared  for  my 
arrival. 

While  I  gazed  upon  the  smooth  sea,  a  longing 
to  pass  the  night  on  the  dark  waters  of  the  river 
of  song  took  possession  of  me,  and  mechanically 
weighing  anchor,  I  took  up  my  oars  and  pulled 
along  the  coast  to  my  goal.     Before  sunset,  the 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX.  32 1 

old  landmark  of  the  mouth  of  the  Suwanee  (the 
iron  boiler  of  a  wrecked  blockade-runner)  ap- 
peared above  the  shoal  water,  and  I  began  to 
search  for  the  little  hammock,  called  Bradford's 
Island,  where  one  year  before  I  had  spent  my 
last  night  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  with  the  "Maria 
Theresa,"  my  little  paper  canoe.  Soon  it  rose 
like  a  green  spot  in  the  desert,  the  well-remem- 
bered grove  coming  into  view,  with  the  half- 
dead  oak's  scraggy  branches  peering  out  of  the 
feathery  tops  of  the  palmettos. 

Entering  the  swift  current  of  the  river,  I 
gazed  out  upon  the  sea,  which  was  bounded 
only  by  the  distant  horizon.  The  sun  was 
slowly  sinking  into  the  green  of  the  western 
wilderness.  A  huo:e  saurian  dratjored  his  mail- 
clad  body  out  of  the  water,  and  settled  qui- 
etly in  his  oozy  bed.  The  sea  glimmered  in 
the  long,  horizontal  rays  of  light  which  clothed 
it  in  a  sheen  of  silver  and  of  crold.  The  wild 
sea-gulls  winnowed  the  air  with  their  wings,  as 
they  settled  in  little  flocks  upon  the  smooth  water, 
as  though  to  enjoy  the  bath  of  soft  sunlight  that 
came  from  the  west.  The  great  forests  behind 
the  marshes  grew  dark  as  the  sun  slowly  disap- 
peared, while  palm-crowned  hammocks  on  the 
savannas  stood  out  in  bold  relief  like  islets  in  a 
sea  of  green.  The  sun  disappeared,  and  the  soft 
air  became  heav}^  with  the  mists  of  night  as  I 
sank  upon  my  hard  bed  with  a  feeling  of  grati- 
21 


322 


FOUR    MONTHS    IN    A    SNEAK-BOX. 


tude  to  Ilim,  whose  all-protecting  arm  had  been 
with  me  in  sunshine  and  in  storm. 

Lying  there  under  the  tender  sky,  lighted  with 
myriads  of  glittering  stars,  a  soft  gleam  of  light 
stretched  like  a  golden  band  along  the  water 
until  it  was  lost  in  the  line  of  the  horizon.  Be- 
yond it  all  was  darkness.  It  seemed  to  be  the 
path  I  had  taken,  the  course  of  my  faithful  boat. 
Back  in  the  darkness  were  the  ice-cakes  of  the 
Ohio,  the  various  dangers  I  had  encountered. 
All  I  could  see  was  the  band  of  shining  light, 
the  bright  end  of  the  voyage. 


Last  Night  on  the  Gulf  of  yVlEXico. 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  PAPER  CANOE: 

A  GEOGRAPHICAL  JOURNEY  OF  2500  MILES,  FROM  QUEBEC  TO  THE 
GULF    OF    MEXICO,    DURING   THE   YEARS    lS7i-5. 

By  NATHANIEL  H.  BISHOP. 

With  spirited  Illustrations,  and  Ten  Maps  specially  prepared  for  this  work  by  the 
U.  S.  Coast  Survey  Bureau.     Crown  Svo.     Cloth,  $2.50. 

Boston:    LEE  &c  SIIEF.A.RD,  Piablisliers. 


American  Literary  Notices. 

"This  is  the  most  novel  feat  that  has  ever  been  performed  by  an  American.  The 
whole  narrative  is  a  living  romance,  whose  perusal  will  occasion  only  delight  to  every 
reader.  It  is  one  of  the  fascinating  books  of  the  time,  and  has  all  the  colors  of  a  dream." 
— Bantter  of  Light. 

"  Mr.  Bishop  has  given  us  a  most  interesting  and  instructive  book,  which  we  commend 
heartily  to  the  perusal  of  all.     It  has  the  advantage  of  being  true  from  beginning  to  end." 

—  Catholic  II  'orld. 

"The  whole  volume,  though  entertaining  in  the  extreme,  abounds  with  curious  infor- 
mation, which  raises  it  above  the  character  of  a  mere  work  of  amusement.  Mr.  Bishop 
is  a  natural  and  forcible  writer."  —  Xe%u  York  Tribune. 

"Jules  Verne,  our  most  startling  romancist.  has  not  written  any  fiction  more  deeply 
interesting  than  Mr.  Bishop's  realistic  narrative  of  personal  adventure." —/"/^//adt^Aii 
Press. 

"Mr.  Bishop's  is  a  capital  book.     He  tells  his  story  charmingly."— //<»«/'"'<'  Courant. 

"The  most  pleasing  thing  to  us  about  this  book  is  the  liking  it  has  begotten  in  us  for 
its  writer.  Mr.  Bishop's  book  abounds  in  humor  as  in  other  best  characteristics;  but  we 
should  sum  up  our  praise  by  saying,  emphatically,  that  he  knows  how  to  make  and  to  relate 
a  manly  and  gentlemanly  journey.    It  is  a  book  to  interest  persons  of  all  ages  and  pursuits. " 

—  Boston  Book  Bulletin. 

'"  Mr.  Bishop's  account  of  his  lonely  journey  is  capit.il  reading.  The  aim  of  the  book 
is  not  to  support  any  political  theory,  but  to  state  what  the  author  saw." — Atlantic 
Monthly. 

Notices  from  the  Press  of  Great  Britain. 

"There  are  some  capital  stories  in  this  book,  with  a  racy  American  flavor ;  and  Mr. 
Bishop  especially  shines  in  his  delineation  of  the  liberated  and  enfranchised  negro."  — 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

"  Cruises  of  '  Rob  Roy,'  or  of  Nautilus,'  seem  tame  when  compared  with  such  en- 
terprises as  that  recorded  in  IMr.  Bishop's  'Voyage  of  the  PAi-Eit  Canoe.'  One  thing 
is  certain,  Mr.  Bishop  did  a  very  bold  thing,  and  has  described  it  with  a  happy  mixture 
of  spirit,  keen  observation,  ?in(i  bonJtommie."  —  Graphic. 

"  We  may  say  that  this  voyage  is  most  instructive  and  amusing,  and  the  first  few  of  the 
maps  of  the  eastern  coast  of  the  States  are,  for  their  size,  the  most  perfect  in  detail  and 
execution  which  we  have  ever  met.  We  cannot  close  the  volume  without  paying  a  fitting 
tribute  of  its  worth,  by  stating  that  we  do  not  care  how  soon  particulars  of  his  last  voyage 
are  presented  to  us."  —  Land  and  Water. 

"This  well-known  traveller,  who,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  walked  one  thousand  miles 
across  South  America,  and  presented  the  world  with  a  graphic  account  of  his  perform- 
ance, now  presents  us  with  one  of  the  most  interesting  works  on  modern  travel  and  adven- 
ture that  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Were  we  to  be  obliged  to  name  volumes  of  travel 
equal  in  interest  to  Mr.  Bishop's,  we  could  only  name  one,  and  that  is  Captain  Bumaby's 
'Ride  to  )sm\\  .k.'"' —  Sporting  and  Dramatic  Nevis. 


THE  PAMPAS  AND  ANDES: 

A  THOUSAND  MILES'  WALK  ACROSS  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

By  NATHANIEL   H.   BISHOP. 

i2mo.     Cloth.     Illustrated.         Price,  $1.50. 

Notices  of  the  Work, 

His  Excellency  Don  Domingo  F.  Sarmiento,  President  of  the  Argentine  Confedera- 
tion, South  America,  in  a  letter  written  to  the  author  during  1S77,  says  :  "  Your  book  of 
travels  possesses  the  merit  of  reality  in  the  faithful  descriptions  of  scenes  and  customs  as 
they  existed  at  that  time. 

"  It  has  delighted  me  to  follow  you,  step  by  step,  by  the  side  of  the  ancient  and  pic- 
turesque carts  that  cross  the  vast  plains  which  stretch  between  the  Parana  River  and  the 
base  of  the  Andes.  As  I  have  written  about  the  same  region,  your  book  of  travels  be- 
comes a  valuable  reminder  of  those  scenes ;  and  I  shall  have  to  consult  your  work  in  the 
future  when  I  again  write  about  those  countries." 


"  Nathaniel  H.  Bishop,  a  mere  lad  of  seventeen,  who,  prompted  by  a  love  of  nature, 
starts  off  from  his  New  England  home,  reaches  the  La  Plata  River,  and  coolly  walks  to 
Valparaiso,  across  Pampa  and  Cordillera,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thousand  miles  !  It 
is  not  the  mere  fact  of  pedestrianism  that  will  gain  for  Master  Nathaniel  Bishop  a  high 
place  among  travellers ;  nor  yet  the  fact  of  its  having  been  done  in  the  face  of  dangers 
and  difficulties,  —  but  that,  throughout  the  walk,  he  has  gone  with  his  eyes  open,  and 
gives  us  a  book,  written  at  seventeen,  that  wil  make  him  renowned  at  seventy.  It  is 
teeming  with  information,  both  on  social  and  natural  subjects,  and  will  take  rank  among 
books  of  scientific  travel  —  the  only  ones  worth  inquiring  for.  One  chapter  from  the 
book  of  an  educated  traveller  (we  don't  mean  the  education  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge)  is 
worth  volumes  of  the  stuff  usually  forming  the  staple  of  books  of  travels.  And  in  this 
unpretending  book  of  the  Yankee  boy  —  for  its  preface  is  signally  of  this  sort  —  we  have 
scores  of  such  chapters.  The  title  is  not  altogether  appropriate.  It  is  called  '  A  Thou- 
sand Miles'  Walk  across  South  America.'  It  is  more  than  a  mere  walk.  It  is  an  explo- 
ration into  the  kingdom  of  Nature. 

"  Sir  Francis  Head  has  gone  over  the  same  ground  on  horseback,  and  given  us  a  good 
account  of  it.  But  this  quiet  '  walk '  of  the  American  boy  is  worth  infinitely  more  than 
the  'Rough  Rides'  of  the  British  baronet.  The  one  is  common  talk  and  superficial 
observation.  The  other  is  a  study  that  extends  beneath  the  surface." —  Captain  Mayne 
Reid.  

"  Regarded  simply  as  a  piece  of  adventure,  this  were  interesting,  especially  when  told 
of  in  a  tone  of  delightful  modesty.  But  the  book  has  other  recommendations.  This 
boy  has  an  admirable  eye  for  manners,  customs,  costumes,  &c.,  to  say  nothing  of  his 
attention  to  natural  history.  The  reader  seems  to  travel  by  his  side,  and  concludes  the 
book  with  a  sense  of  having  himself  trodden  the  Pampas,  and  mingled  with  their  bar- 
barous inhabitants.  So  far  as  ■writi7ig  goes,  this  is  the  supreme  merit  of  a  book  of  trav- 
els. Let  those  explore  who  not  only  see  for  themselves,  but  have  the  rare  ability  to  lend 
their  eyes  to  others.  Mr.  Bishop  is  one  of  the  few  who  can  do  this  ;  the  graphic  sim- 
plicity of  his  narrative  is  above  praise.  Meanwhile,  his  personal  impression  is  very 
charming.  The  quiet  patience  with  which  he  accepted  all  the  hardships  of  his  position  — 
without  the  slightest  parade  of  patience,  however  —  is  beyond  measure  attractive.  But 
the  brave  youth  goes  on  quietly  enduring  what  was  to  be  borne,  and  not  ever  allowing  his 
observation  to  be  dulled  by  the  infelicities  of  his  situation."  —  Boston  CommotiweaWt, 


BOSTON:     LEE    &    SHEPARD. 
NEW  YORK  :     CHARLES    T.    DILLINGHAM.  ^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

017  7B54F  C001 

Tour  MONTHS  IN  A  SNEAK-BOX.  BOST 


3  0112  025335750 


